


Unexpected

by Bolontiku



Series: Unexpected [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/M, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2020-03-02 15:16:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18813538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bolontiku/pseuds/Bolontiku
Summary: When Wade shows up Clint knows to expect the unexpected. It never prepares him for what follows though.





	1. Chapter 1

It was too early for Steve, which was saying something. 

It was the entire reason Tony had given them the building to themselves to work out of since it was more or less for storage. The three had made a home of it and would often use it when they came into town, Wade would often join them. Steve had fallen asleep there though. So, he begrudgingly thought, it was really his fault. The girl was a literal vampire, of course Wade would completely follow her habits when together and there were the two others.

Getting up he recognized the guest bedroom, he hadn’t slept here in a long time, he had his own place of course, just like Bucky had his own with Alice. Steve stopped at the door as Clint zipped by, a whoop of laughter escaping his lips. “Clint?” he cleared his throat and hedged out closing the door behind him. 

What were they up to? 

He checked his watch, the shutters were shut, not that she couldn’t be out in the sun, just that she preferred the cool darkness. So did the guys. Guys, the Vale brothers, men who had known Wade since before they even wanted to admit. Mason and Roman Vale, the only thing that hinted at shared blood was their eyes, moss green. Her eyes were green as well, ringed in gold.

Steve smiled, he remembered the camaraderie of the Army. He blinked as she skidded to a stop in front of him, “hey-hi-sorry we woke you…” she was carrying a large bowl with.. Steve squinted, mouth dropping open in curiosity, “did you see where he went?” Steve shook his head confused. She was like this, they had said as much and lively was not even a word to describe her energy. She growled a little, “MARCO!!!”

Three resounding, “POLO,” echoed from the building. 

Steve chuckled as she giggled with delight and was off in a blur. He scratched the back of his neck and made his way to the kitchen, “anybody want breakfast?” he called pulling some items from the cabinets. 

Four voices echoed in answer, varying degrees of yes. 

Steve smiled, after everything he had come to like the girl and her ragtag bunch that called this portion of the compound home. Wade of course was one of his favorites but he would never admit it. There had been quite a bit, but they had all worked past that. 

“Count us in if your making pancakes punk.”

Steve smiled over his shoulder at Bucky, “where is Alice?”

“Cleaning up in the bathroom, she’ll be along in a minute.” Steve nodded, “looks like you had a long night.”

Steve chuckled, “Wade and Hale got their hands on some Asgardian mead….” Bucky dropped his face to his arms on the counter, laughter creeping up and making his shoulders shake. “I managed but those two are just...they want to die.” He said and realized it was the truest thing he had ever said in all seriousness. This made him pause.

Bucky shook his head, “doubt even Alice will allow that now.”

Steve smiled softly.

***

“The thing with Hale is that she is inhumanly fast. Of course, being who she is it makes sense, so we have to be the fastest and stealthiest, she keeps us on our toes and-”

“Wade- be quiet!!” Mason glared at him over his shoulder. “Why did you follow me?”

“MARCO!!”

“POLO!!” they both answered, Mason grinned as he heard Roman, and then Clint as well.

“She’s closer to them.”

Wade made a nervous sound, “she may be hunting for me specifically.”

Mason turned and narrowed green eyes at him as he stood and moved quietly away from the merc. “I am not losing because of you. The slime she makes is... goopy and clings.”

“You have to keep me safe!!” Wade stepped closer to him.

At this point three things happened at once:

  1. The bathroom door that was between them opened and they both paused as the hunter woman stepped out, stopping herself as she realized there were two men staring intensely at her.
  2. Mason stepped to the side as he heard her footsteps behind him.
  3. Hale shouted in joy, as Mason ducked, belatedly spotting the small woman between him and Wade. 



  
  


Bucky and Steve came skidding around the corner as they heard Alice cry out. He wasn’t sure what exactly had happened, but there stood his wife covered in… goop.

Wade was the first to move, he full out ran at Hale, sweeping her up and over his shoulder the bowl clattering to the floor. “Why do you always make enemies everywhere we go?!”

“IT WAS YOUR FUCKING FAULT FOR-ACTUALLY IT WAS MASONS FAULT FOR MOVING!!” she screamed back as he moved as fast as he could, one arm wrapped around the back of her thighs, her small hands on his back as she attempted to look at the woman.

Bucky stepped towards Alice, “baby? Doll?”

Green eyes looked up at him, Alice's hands held in front of her, a shocked expression in place. A small indignant noise leaving her as she moved slowly, lips turning down at the corners. A plop sounded as goop fell to the floor.

Clint came to a stop, “oh.”

Alice looked at him and the blond that stopped next to him.  “Who-?”

The three men looked at each other and moved as one, already running as Alice shouted after them.

Steve couldn’t help but laugh. 


	2. Chapter 2

*****

“Hear me out as a fellow Avenger!”

“Wade… you’re more like back up.”

“Now, let’s not get salty, but Captain America himself picked me,” he smirked smugly as he followed the archer through the halls.

Clint stared at Wade, “ _ you _ need help? This must be something, you usually just go in without a plan...”

Wade nodded. “Just a quickie, in and out, you'll be back before your soaps. In time for those pink bubble baths where you put your towel on your head and wear one of those face masks you like so much, I could even join you!”

“Who is it?” Clint stopped and turned, Wade almost crashed into him, “Wade?” Clint shook his head as Wade shifted from foot to foot. “Wade…”

“It’s a friend,” he hedged, “look, it’s Hale, but the Vale brothers are gonna join!!”

Clint shook his head, “you're insane- your friend is insane, no. No way. I'd rather face off with Nat. You’ve told me of this Hale and I am not getting involved!” he exclaimed poking Wade in the chest and shaking his head.

“That’s great, I’ll watch and be your cheerleader, pretty sure I still have that cheerleading costume-” Wade chewed on his bottom lip as Clint shook his head, hand waving behind him as he walked away. “Fine, but you’re the only pilot I know that is available and I’m only gonna tell Tony how I did ask you to help before I took one of his toys an-”

***

And that is how Clint found himself behind the pilots seat of one of the least expensive quin-jets, grumbling about how this was a horrible idea and Wade was sat in the back with a couple others. “Wade?! NO, stop right there… don’t touch anything.”

Wade cackled from his spot right outside the cockpit, “You know-”

“Shut up Wade, we aren’t that far out but remind me where this place is? You only gave me coordinates, there isn’t a landing zone for miles. There is nothing but water under us and air all around.” Blue eyes looked over his shoulder at the suddenly quiet merc. “Wade. Wade, pay attention. Where are we picking this guy up?”

“Its an extraction right?” Wade hedged, “yeah, well...there’s the thing. You know how we go out and pick up a chick at the bar?” he waited till Clint nodded, “this is not like that. See…”

“ **_WADE!”_ **

“Hale got into trouble, needs an extract and it’s not as easy as stepping out of a building. That one is certified crazy.”

Clint growled, “yeah, Wade… I thought you said this guy only operated at night?”

“Of course, a legit vampire, coupled with multiple personality disorder-”

“You have multiple personality disorder!”

Wade scoffed behind his mask, “don’t listen to him, just cause he can’t hear you doesn’t mean you’re not real, no… yes… right?!”

“WADE,” Both Clint and the man behind him shouted.

Wade laughed, “that’s why it had to be you Clint, gonna need those flying skills of yours cause this is about to get all kindsa fucked up!”

“I still don’t understand why he had to come, I could have flown…”

Clint looked over at the man, dirty blond hair, and mossy green eyes, Clint had seen his brother, same eyes, long blond hair. This one was bigger, bulkier, he wore a tac uniform and he carried the weight of someone not to be fucked with even if he had an easy smile and Clint had a feeling that he would be on par with Tony when it came to flirting. 

“You know she’s insane… that guy, he did something, Hale can’t just pop out.” Wade said off handedly.

“What do you mean pop out?” Clint asked, “coming up on those coordinates, Wade, what do you mean sort of an extraction?”

“There she is! Roman, stay buckled in!” Mason cried stepping to the back. Clint could hear him adjusting his gear. “WADE come buckle in, if you miss her then at least you’ll survive the jump!”

Wade grumbled, Clint looked over his shoulder, “what the fuck are you two doing?!”

Mason grinned, “this is like old times!” 

Wade laughed again, “old times?! Not even close enough, she’s only gotten more reckless.”

Clint felt a shiver of fear run through him as they opened the back ramp both leaning into the wind, held back by a few clips. “WADE!!!” She, it just clicked, they were picking up a woman...

A thumbs up was directed at him and he looked back as Wade pointed to the front of the quin-jet. “Already over her, get under as fast as possible!! We’ll be jumping, no more than fifteen, make sure to catch us!!!”

“WADE!!!” Clint shouted before looking back, the two men disappearing over the edge. Clint frowned as the man that had strapped in and stayed sat, laughed loudly. “Leave me with a crazy one… fucking drag me out… jump out in the middle of the...damnit,” he grunted as he kept the jet in place for a second longer before he maneuvered under the other aircraft. “Fucking Hydra? Steve is gonna be so fucking pissed...”

**

It was twelve minutes. Clint noticed as the craft above shuddered, tilting and then a large explosion rocked the entire craft, he cursed as he noted the rear opening, jerking the quin-jet to the left to avoid the falling gate. “Mother fucker, if we get one scratch on this unapproved extraction- what the fuck?!”

The comm in his ear crackled and Wade’s voice nearly left him deaf, “ **CATCH HER!** ” Clint saw it, but he didn’t believe it. A small figure had dove out, followed by a man in black and finally Wade.

“Fuck…”

“CATCH US!!! WE’RE GONNA DIIIIIEEEEE!!!” Wade screamed, high pitched and full of terror.

The quin-jet dove, Clint gritting his teeth as he turned it completely vertical after the falling idiots. “God, damn it… fucking idiots… I did not sign up for this, what the fuck Wade?!”

“Just catch us!! Fuck me, but those two are really real, they won't come back if they spat!!!”

Clint grunted as he caught up with Wade surpassing him and finally Mason and crazy girl. He could see the blue of the ocean coming up under him quick, “FUCKING BETTER GET A MOVE ON!!” looking over his shoulder his only passenger clutched at the shoulder straps holding him in place, the quin-jet screaming at him to pull up, sensors and alarms beeping and screeching warnings at him as a white clad woman came flying in the rear, crashing heavily into the cargo hold, he cursed as he heard two more come barreling in, hitting the close button for the rear and pulling up harshly.

**

Hitting autopilot Clint unclipped his seat belt and climbed out the cockpit, curses already flying out his lips, he came to a halt as he heard a little whimper to his right and there she lay on the floor. 

“Is that a fucking straight jacket?! She jumped out IN A STRAIGHT JACKET?! What if I had missed?!”

Wade sat up, both men looking over as the blond in the seat unstrapped and jumped to his feet, moving quickly over to her, Wade looked back up at Clint, “we had that much faith in you.”

“Did she even know we were coming?!”

Wade shrugged while Mason sat up with a groan, “goddamned fucking concussion, she better know how much I fucking lover her. And to answer your question, she was fully prepared to die rather than stay with those men.”

“Li-lif-lift your fucking chin ya stubborn girl!!” There was a sound, metal shifting and clicking, a beep and all eyes turned and watched as a metal collar fell to the floor. “I am going to regret this one… maybe I can tinker with it..” she grunted, growling at him and shook glaring at him and he nodded, “later…” reaching up he toyed with the mechanism around her mouth and it too fell off, into the long haired blondes hands.

“Thank the fuck Roman!!” she exclaimed shifting, “Now would you get me outta this jacket?!”

“Custom made?” Mason asked leaning against the grating wall of the quin-jet.

“Fuck off.”

“I could, but then that means you woulda died,” he raised an eyebrow as Roman pulled her to her feet and turned her around. “Silence?!”

“That’s a first!”

“Coming from you Wade thats fucking fresh!!” she growled. He cackled as the jacket fell to the floor and she turned, arms flying around the long haired blond and she squealed, “THANK YOU!!” 

Roman laughed, hugging her back, “Anything for my girl.”

She moved on back to Wade, “told ya I’d always come for you.”

“MMmm,” she hummed before Mason pulled her from his arms. 

“We gotta talk.”

Clint cleared his throat and offered a smile as she looked over to him, “hi.”

“Smooth,” Wade whispered.

Green eyes landed on him and Clint swore the jet shifted under his feet.

She could feel it, her entire being humming as she met his blue eyes, her soul claiming him, ‘ _ mine _ ,’ it demanded. She shook herself, “flyboy! Thank you, for the catch, not a lot that would go along with our type of crazy.”

Clint nodded, “I’ve heard.”

“My reputation travels I see,” she grinned, “got a name blue eyes?”

“Clint Barton.”

“Call me Hale.”

“Call her busy, I need a report,” Mason stepped in again, this time bodily moving her. She whined and pouted up at him, eyes flickering back to Clint as long haired blond followed. 

Wade sighed, “don’t take it personally, he’s in charge of her, not like that, but in charge of not letting her kill herself.”

Clint snorted looking over at Wade, “you’re not serious?”

“Oh, she’s completely suicidal. Think this is the first time she’s jumped out of a fucking plane without a parachute?! Think Steve Rogers...times a billion. Then quadruple that and you got the best lay in town. You’ll remember her even after being five times reincarnated. But crazy is always so satisfying. She speaks spanish too!” he added winking at Clint.

Clint rolled his eyes, opting to get back into the pilots seat while Wade sat in the co-pilots. “Don’t touch anything!”

“That’s no fun.”

They were five minutes from returning to the compound when Clint looked over, “what does her speaking spanish have to do with anything?” he asked looking confused.

Wade cracked up, leaning forwards and holding his midsection, “think ‘bout it… little hint, she can move her tongue in ways that will have you hitting falsetto… that’s more than a hint.”

Cint was about to retort when he heard a voice before he saw him, “Have fun Barton? IS THAT WILSON IN MY QUIN-JET?!” Tony screeched over the comms.

***


	3. Chapter 3

Clint watched from his spot outside the conference room. 

She was sat at one end, the two men flanking her, facing Fury, Tony, and Steve.

She looked  _ tiny _ . There was something, something that had passed between them and Clint felt strangely drawn to her.

There had nearly been a fight when Fury mentioned separating them, both men quickly blocking and standing in front of her, shoving the SHIELD agents Fury had brought with him back before Tony had stepped in. Clint shook his head, Wade had of course disappeared, he was sure to the kitchen but that left him with three unknowns and some explaining to do.

Clint was standing beside her, having moved in at the same time as the two brothers. He had been trying to figure out what color her eyes were when she had complained about needing a shower, smiling as she touched his shoulder, “thank you again. For…” her grip on his shoulder tightened slightly before dropping her hand. Clint frowned, concern etching across his features as she swayed slightly.

“Hale?” Roman asked turning around to look at her as she paused.

Clint reached for her as her words had trailed and she looked like she was about to be sick, swallowing as she tried to speak again but her eyes had rolled to the back of her head and she had pitched forwards. Clint barely managed to catch her. 

  
  


Two nights in medical. He had been shocked she had managed to even have an iota of energy to stand when Bruce had told him about her injuries. 

Looking at her now he wondered about them, she had two broken ribs, a sprained ankle, he hadn’t seen them but multiple lacerations to her back. Being dehydrated and at the point of starvation had explained her fainting spell.

“Admit it you’ve got a crush on her.”

Clint nearly screeched as Wade pressed completely into him and whispered into his ear as seductively as he could. Instead, he shoved the merc away and leaned against the wall he had been cautiously peeking around.”Where did you find her?”

“Classified.”

Clint rolled his eyes, “you can’t pull that with me.”

“Look, she’s worse than that Canadian Wolverine, her background is so damned redacted that I’m not even sure if Hale is her real name…” he gasped loudly. “ohMYFUCKINGAWD, I’ve been working with a spook this entire time!!”

“Who’s a spook? Who’s in questioning with the big three? How do I miss everything?”

“Bucky, you really didn’t miss anything,” Clint sighed, “this your woman?” he smiled and stood straight extending his hand, “names Clint glad to finally meet you..” he shoved Wade backwards with his free hand planted firmly on his face.

“Alice Winters,” she answered carefully taking his hand, green eyes flickering to the man behind him in a dark hoodie. Bucky wrapped an arm around her slender waist and Clint bit back a chuckle.

“Names Wade Wilson! Nice to meet you! Listen if you ever get tired of that vibrating arm, lemme know,” he winked and laughed as Bucky pulled Alice to his other side, “I mean, she’s hot too, but I was wondering what it felt like and-” 

The doors opened and the small group turned as Steve and Tony followed Fury out. “Hey Buck!” Steve wrapped his arms around Bucky, wrapping Alice up in a hug as well. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Visit,” Alice said looking around, “Steve, should we be worried?”

Steve dragged a hand down his face and looked over his shoulder as the three came out and Wade nearly bowled him over in an attempt to get her in his arms. “When you fainted-!!!”

“Wade, I do not faint. Also, you were not even there,” Hale sighed looking around at the new faces, her eyes fell on Alice and she stepped back, behind Mason who quickly took a defensive stand in front of her and managing to be completely relaxed about it.

“She became overcome with gratitude at your kindness-ouch!” Roman cried as she slugged his shoulder. 

“Shut it,” she growled pushing Wade off.

“Hold still,” Tony said and she and Wade looked down as he applied an ankle bracelet. “My making don’t think you’ll get very far,” Tony informed them.

Wade snorted and broke into all out laughter, “you know she has her own genius with her? He’ll probably have it offa her in-”

Roman slapped his hand over Wade mouth, pulling away to reveal the contraption that had kept her from talking. Wade growled like a cat, scratching at the device, “oh, look it works after all!” the long haired blond smirked as Wade dropped to the floor with a thud, booted foot now by his mouth as he clawed at the muzzle.

“Roman, remind me to bring your pay grade up,” Hale said.

Tony leveled a glare at him, “if you can get that off her come visit me in my labs.”

Mason laughed as Roman looked over at him, “so, I take it you have somewhere to put us up?” The taller man more serious one asked Fury.

“Steve and Tony will take care of that as well. I have other matters to attend to.” Fury said curtly turning on his heel and leaving the small group promptly.

“Steve? I have a few meetings to get to and-” Tony was already looking at a stark pad.

Steve nodded, “it’s alright, I can take them.”

Wade wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist, “god, please take me to bed!”

“How did you get that off already?!” Roman asked staring at the discarded muzzle in sadness.

Steve sighed and Clint chuckled, “I can take them to the living area, go out with Bucky and Alice, have a nice visit.”

“Y’sure?” Steve asked already extracting himself from Wade as Bucky was already urging Alice towards the elevators. Hale tugged on Mason’s arm backing up as she kept an eye on the dark haired woman who looked at her with curiosity. 

Clint nodded and waved them away as he grabbed Wade’s arm, prying him off Steve, “go, have a great day!”

  
  


“Miss, you are not permitted to leave this floor.”

Hale sighed heavily, blowing her hair out of her face with exasperation, “Ms. Friday, where exactly can I go in this building?” she asked looking up at the ceiling.

“As per Mr. Starks orders, only the floor you are currently on.”

Hale growled, “So, I can’t leave the grounds, they let Roman, Mason and fucking Wade-motherfucking-destruction free…. Not like Hydra is after them… I’ll show them. You don’t fucking cage me…” she growled under her breath pacing up and down the hall facing the elevator. 

Hale turned as she caught the clean scent mixed with wood, the doors of the elevators slid open smoothly, no noise. There stood Clint, she smirked as he halted at the sight of her, “hey flyboy,” she purred.

Clint felt a shock run through him, “uhhm,” mentally he berated himself as she took a step towards him. Green, her eyes were definitely green, a ring of gold lining the inside dark brown on the outer edges. Who had three colors to their eyes? That was fucking illegal, especially with someone that looked like she did. “I uhm, ho-how are you”

Hale grinned, stepping into his personal space, “I’d be better if I could stretch my legs?”

Clint swallowed, she stepped so close he was certain they’d bump, but she moved around him, her hand falling on his shoulder, “the thing is your under house arrest-”

“That’s boring, at least this floor is boring. Technically I wouldn’t be leaving the building, hence in house, if I stay in one place too long against my will it’s not gonna end pretty…” she said voice light and carefree, although Clint was sure it meant anything but.

Clint turned as she moved around him, somehow she seemed to be just out of his eyesight. “Can’t be that bad, listen, we have a small kitchen on this floor. We can raid it for snacks and sit and watch a few movies? Until your...boyfriend comes back.”

Hale stopped in front of him, she licked her lips, she was getting hungry, she could go for a snack. “Until Mason returns then.” The thought of Mason being her boyfriend was enough to make her giggle, but she also knew she should keep distance between herself and this man. Especially when her entire body screamed at her to take a nip, just a taste, it was everything to keep herself from completely stretching her body along his. So, she settled for nearly touching, her hand on his shoulder slipping off.

“So,” Clint murmured as he led the way to the on site kitchen, he had been right. The bigger guy was her boyfriend, why that disappointed him he really didn’t want to look at too closely. “Why exactly did Fury decide to put you under house arrest? Let’s start at the beginning actually, why were you in Hydra custody?” Hale skipped along, humming softly, he liked her voice, it was soothing, if he listened long enough he was certain he would fall asleep. “Also, why in the hell would you jump out of an aircraft that was in the middle of nowhere?”

Hale laughed, “I would rather take my chances with the sharks rather than stay there again. It’s good to be able to stretch and be free,” she frowned as she slid into a stool as Clint opened the refrigerator door, green eyes flicking down to her ankle, “relatively free.”

“What do you want to drink?” Clint asked hand running along the back of his neck.

Hale stared at him for a moment, “ahh, coffee. Unless you've got some good whiskey?”

Clint grinned at her moving to the coffee maker, “girl after my own heart!”

“You have no idea how true that is,” she grinned. Sitting back she took a breath. “Hydra surprised me, I’ve been running from them for as long as I can remember. They incapacitated me, got the jump, I got too comfortable, that collar kept me from doing what I do.”

Clint sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to lean against the counter once he set the coffee maker, “and what exactly is that?”

Hale raised an eyebrow, “I could show you?” she suggested, voice quieting as she slid from the stool. Clint watched her as she moved around the island, he sucked in a breath as her hands slid up over his chest, one hand catching his shirt and pulling him down, the other slipping up his neck. Fingers slipping into his hair, scratching softly as she leaned into him, closer, “tell me you want me to show you?” Clint nodded, tongue darting out, blue eyes darkening as he leaned down, his own hands falling on her waist. “You have to say you want me…” she hummed.

Clint nodded, a little noise catching in his throat.

Hale watched as his lips moved slowly.

“ **_HALE_ ** !”

Green eyes closed as she was pulled back and Mason came between her and the cute flyboy, a growl tearing from her lips, “Mason!”

He turned, glaring at her as he shoved Clint back into the counter. A look passing between the two, before he turned back to Clint, “fuck you think your doing?!” he demanded, “think you can come up here, fucking make a move and maybe, just maybe you can stick your dick where it doesn’t belong?!” He growled angrily again shoving Clint. 

This time Clint shoved back. “Back off, you don’t want to do this!” Clint warned, “you three are guests here-”

“Really?! Cause as soon as that boss of yours found out that Hydra was on MY girls case, that she’s got something they want, he was quick about putting that thing on her fucking ankle!”

“MASON!” Hale caught his arm, “I’m sorry!!” she cried as he swung her back shaking her off.

Clint watched as she stumbled back and landed on her ass, his reaction time was quicker than he had remembered, his fist connecting with Mason’s jaw. 

Wade came running, followed by Roman and Tony, the three shoving between the two men as Roman lifted Hale to her feet and stepping out of fists way. Hale calling out to Mason who was being pulled and lifted off the ground by Wade, while Tony caught Clint and pushed him back, both men still yelling at each other.

“Mason!” she cried pulling out of Roman’s arms and shoving at Wade, catching his face in her hands she shook her head, “I’m sorry, it was my fault! I shouldn’t have!!”

Mason glared at her, nostrils flaring for a moment, he moved forwards Hale moving with him, her arms wrapping around his neck, “I’m sorry Mason, I’m sorry, it was me, I won’t do it again, I promise, I promise…” she whispered, resting her forehead on his wide chest. 

Mason growled, glaring at Clint where Tony had him stalled at the far side of the kitchen. Hale leaned up, lips grazing his jaw, “please Mason?”

He sighed, wrapping an arm around her and lifting her as he turned, arms wrapped around her back and under her knees. Roman dropping his head as they disappeared. Wade grinned at the blond, “been a minute since that happened!”

Roman grimaced as he saw Tony step back from Clint. “It’s been getting worse, Mason is worried,” he ran a hand through his hair and looked over at Clint, “please apologize to your friend, I gotta go check on those two. Make sure they don’t bring down the entire building.”

Wade nodded, “I’ll check in later.” He looked over his shoulder at Clint as Roman hesitated, eyes watching for a moment, “he’ll be fine, no marks. Go on!”

Roman nodded, stepping away.


	4. Chapter 4

Roman entered Hale’s small apartment as Mason shoved her backwards. “Hey!!” he exclaimed catching her and steadying her. “What the fuck was that?!”

“THAT’S WHAT I WANNA KNOW!?” Mason growled angrily stalking back and forth in the small room.

Roman let a small sigh escape, letting Hale sit on the plush couch and watching as Mason paced back and forth. “Mason-”

“She could have fucked it all up! Why would you-” his face screwed up, as if he had a headache and he rubbed at both of his temples, hands running into his hair as he let out a loud groan. “You’re so fucking- so fucked up!”

Hale looked at her hands, dropping her head slightly, hiding her face behind her hair. “I’m sorry-”

“SORRY DOESN’T CUT IT!” he roared stepping towards her, stopping when Roman stepped up to him. “Ro-”

“You need to calm down.” The blond said simply, one hand on his shoulder. “Either you go to your room or you sit and stew, either way she needs to feed.” Mason glanced at her, then back at his brother, “didn’t realize did you? She did get blood at the medical unit here, but not in the way she needs, you know this is important, so sit.” Mason sat, huffing irately, but watching as his brother moved towards her. “Hale?”

She looked at him as he kneeled in front of her, “no.. I’m okay Roman, I will stay here.”

Roman laughed, grinning broadly at her, “that’s not gonna happen, you’ll go stir-crazy. I’ll tinker with the shit on your ankle once you feed and then we’ll go for a walk. I checked out their labs, then went for a quick walk myself.”

She smirked at him, “recon?”

“I have learned a little from you and my brother,” he answered, giving her a smirk of his own as he lifted his hair and tied it off into a bun on the top of his head. She shook her head and turned from him, “Hale, nothing is going to be taken care of by you refusing to feed. Stop being stubborn.” He tugged at her arm, pulling her forward, hands on her thighs as he leaned into her.

“But it’s fucked up,” she bit out bitterly, green and gold eyes flickering to Mason. “You two should go. I am the one they want and these people have no idea what they are getting into and I should have just stayed where I was.”

“Shut up Hale,” Mason said finally leaning back on the other couch and draping an arm over his eyes. “You know we won’t leave you. These people don’t know what they’ve gotten into, you’re right, but that’s not why we stay and you know it. I say stupid shit when I’m angry and we all know it, so just...fucking feed already.” He sighed waving a hand towards them.

**

Tony sighed as the two left, Roman shortly after, he squeezed Clint’s shoulder. “You alright?” 

Clint nodded, dropping himself onto a stool. Tony lifted his chin, making him slap at his hands, “I’m fine Tony.”

“Did she..kiss you?”

Wade stepped in, “she wouldn’t!”

Tony whipped around so quickly Clint was sure that he should have had whiplash. “You!” he advanced on Wade. “Bringing someone like her here! And Fury has put a gag order on us so it's not like we can explain exactly what is going on!!” he poked Wade on the chest.

“Tony what is going on?! Why does Hydra want her?” Clint asked, he felt dizzy and frowned, he was sure he had eaten.

Tony watched as Clint put his head in his hands, “let’s get you to medical.”

“Tony, I’m telling you, she didn’t do anything to him!”

Tony threw an accusatory glare at Wade as he caught Clint’s arm. “You and me, we are going to talk. I need to know everything about her.”

Wade sighed as he walked alongside them. “I know Hale seems like a threat, but I promise she’s not. More so a threat to herself than anything else really.”

“Tony, I don’t need to go to medical, just need some sleep is all.”

“Hale can’t help what she is-”

“She can keep her teeth to herself!” Tony bit out as he shouldered Clint. “What is wrong with him?!”

Wade groaned, “she gave him the look, I don’t know the technicalities. She gives you this look and if you’re not like me then it makes you all dopey so that you don’t remember anything. He just needs a nap is all.” 

Tony growled as he walked Clint into medical, “FRIDAY, I want a full scan. Let me know what if any wounds are on him. Pulse, blood count, fuck, I want the works!”

“On it boss.”

Wade shook his head leaning against the door as Tony laid Clint on the bed, “he doesn’t have a bite.”

“Don’t tell me what is best for my friend!”

Wade made a hurt noise, “Clint is my friend too!”

“Nice how you treat your friends, by putting them in harm’s way.”

“She’s my friend too! What, like you haven’t faced off with aliens from another planet?! As if he couldn’t handle himself? Clint isn’t a baby! He could have simply said no, she would have backed off and nothing would have happened, she would have left him asleep on the couch and honestly it would have been the best freakin’ sleep the guys probably had in months!”

“What happened?!” Steve asked walking in.

“His friend almost took a bite out of Clint, now he’s asleep and won’t wake up!” Tony answered.

Wade growled angrily, pulled his weapon and shot himself in the head.

Alice let out a cry and Bucky pushed her backwards as Wade’s body slumped to the ground. Tony looked over at them and sighed, “sorry, he does that.. He’ll be up and about soon.”

“Boss?”

“Give it to me FRIDAY.”

“All tests have come back positive, Mr. Barton is in excellent health as expected of someone of his caliber. There are no puncture wounds and his blood count is as should be.”

“She’s a vampire.”

All eyes turned to Alice.

“Whoa now…”

“Alice, we couldn’t tell you, so when Clint-”

“You ALLOWED A VAMPIRE in under your roof?!” she screamed angrily, pulling from Bucky’s arms and looking at him, “did you know this?!” she asked turning her wide eyes on him.

Bucky shook his head, “doll-”

Steve came around, Tony on his heels. “Fury put a gag order on us, seems like we need to have a meeting…”

“Damn right ya do!” she growled stalking out of the room.

Tony pursed his lips and shook his head. “Fine, FRIDAY, lock down the floor with our guests please.”

“You got it boss!”

**

Roman sat back a little sigh escaping his lips. It never got old, the rush when her lips pressed to his neck, the feel of her teeth sinking in, he was sure it was the same for Mason. “Here, give me five minutes,” he hummed, “Mason, can you get my bag?” The brunette nodded and stood, leaving the small apartment. “Hale-”

“I know!”

Roman shook his head, biting on his bottom lip as she grabbed a bag on the floor and fishing out a water bottle handing it to him. “You said you would do better.”

“I did.”

“And that’s how you ended up in a Hydra camp?!” he hadn’t raised his voice but he saw the sting cross her expression. “How did that happen?”

“The collar. It suppresses my abilities. Before I knew what happened that thing sucked everything out of me. They fucking electrocuted me!” she sighed and sat back, hands in her hair. “I would have jumped no matter what y’know?”

Roman snickered, “which is why we roped Wade into it. He was the closest that answered, he had the means to get a hold of an aircraft too.”

Hale chuckled, feeling a little normal. “Can we maybe manage to get to the roof?”

Roman looked over his shoulder at her from his spot on the floor. “I’ll see what I can do. This Stark guy is pretty smart.”

“Says the one that studied with Victor Von Doom.”

Roman scowled, “I didn’t know he was...bad,” he deflated and Hale ran her hand through his hair, “if it hadn’t been for you..”

“Mason would have dragged you out, he was already there and if you remember, the reason I got out of that damned lab.”

Both looked up as Mason entered, smile on his face brandishing a medium sized black bag, “Wasn’t sure exactly what you were gonna need, so I brought this one.”

Roman lit up, “you know it’s my favorite!”

It took twenty minutes but finally he had re-rigged the ankle bracelet to allow her to walk around on more than just one floor. When she had complained that FRIDAY would stop them he simply winked at her. Hale nearly vibrated with excitement, pressing her lips to his temple as she pulled him towards the elevator. “It’s night right?! It’s going to feel so good! I can’t wait!” Both Mason and Roman laughed as they stopped in front of the steel doors, the three freezing as dark granite doors slid down effectively shutting it down.

“Lock down in process.” FRIDAY informed them.

Hale shook her head, eyes darting everywhere, “no, no!” she pulled out of Roman’s grasp.

“Hale, calm down, we can figure this out,” Mason stepped in front of her, catching her upper arms, “breathe, breathe girl. This was expected, so we wait it out…”

“NO!” she screamed as the windows darkened, barriers slamming down. She shoved Mason out of her way effortlessly and ran. Terror was real. Being shut in, locked in, she had had enough of that. Hale could hear both men calling her name as she pushed herself faster, using what she had kept tucked away to catch up to the closing shutters. Arms coming up as she launched herself through the last window that was unblocked. 

A smile graced her lips as glass shattered and splintered, air whipping around her as she heard the telltale clamp of the last shutter closing behind her, but she was free. It was all that mattered. 

She was free.

The ground rushing up under her was of little importance. 

There was a shocked cry as she landed, glass landing all around her. Hale stayed crouched, her legs screaming at her, but it was nothing. She had been through so much worse. Green eyes met the blue of a man and green of the female hunter, the man quickly shoving the woman behind him. 

Hale didn’t stay. She knew a hunter when she saw one, even if she was different, even if she carried a different vibe. 

Hale turned, stretching her legs and ran. 

A month with Hydra. 

A month being tortured.

The night air was more than welcome and the light of the moon was refreshing.

Laughter bubbled up out of her as she covered ground fast, the wind whipping around her as she ran. 

She was free.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> filler chapter?

Mason crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the men that stood on the other side of the large expensive table, Roman swiveling in the plush seat next to him. “What does it matter? Hale has other contacts aside from us, we were just the most convenient.”

Fury took in a fortifying breath, “we want to help her.”

Roman snorted, “that girl there doesn’t wanna help her, wants to kill her-”

“She is not going to get a chance. Miss Winters is not active nor is she going to go off on her own, now,” Fury sighed, “Hydra wants her for what she is, we want to keep her out of their hands. If they haven’t gotten what they needed.”

Mason looked over at Roman and both looked back at him, “where’s Wade?”

“What do you want with him?”

Mason leaned forwards, “look, you’re not local PD, nor do you have any reason to hold us now that Hale isn’t here, we can go whenever we want.”

Fury frowned as Tony cleared his throat, “actually, there is the matter of you using my tech for an unauthorized mission, which resulted in damage of personal and government property.”

Mason scoffed, “we had the go ahead from your flyboy, he could have told us to fuck off and we would have been forced to find someone else.”

Tony glared at him, “we are trying to help your friend.”

“We just wanted a pick up, not you trying to lock her behind blast doors!” Mason growled, fist hitting the top of the table in front of him.

“She attacked our flyboy!” Tony shot back, eyes closing when he realized he had used their term. “She attacked one of our teammates,” he said calmer now.

“She hypnotized him, still she’s nicer than others of her kind, all he had to do was say no and she would have backed off,” Mason shouted, “so, your flyboy wanted to have her lips on his damned skin!”

The door opened and Steve stepped in, “guys, Tony, need to talk.”

**

Clint scrubbed his hands over his face, he still felt groggy and nearly stumbled as he walked. He let out an undignified cry as Wade caught his elbow, dragging him along. “Wha-?!” 

“Shut up, she’s out there and I know she’s a complete badass, she must have taken from Roman or Mason, probably both but that’s not enough and it’s stupid of her to be out there by herself right now cause even though she has other contacts and donors, no one is trustworthy right now.”

Clint groaned as Wade pulled him into the garage, “Wade? What are you talking about?”

“HALE!” 

“Donors?”

Wade let out a frustrated sigh pointing at the black SUV, “can we talk about this as we go or not?”

 

**

“If we want to find her we need to let these guys go, they can lead us to her.”

Fury shook his head, “I don’t think so. These two are completely loyal to her, so much so they managed to get a quin-jet and go on a rescue mission.”

“She’s got them under-what did Alice call it? Her thrall? Is that what happened to Clint, fuck if she had gotten a bite on him-”

Steve held his hands out in front of him shaking his head, “emotions are running high, we need some down time, but we need her here where we can keep an eye on her. A place she is safe but doesn’t feel like a prisoner.”

“You weren’t complaining when I initially gave the order,” Fury stated giving him a look.

“You didn’t give me time, though I understand why you did it.” Steve answered, “look, let’s not make anymore mistakes, let’s go in on this with level heads and try to understand. This is Hydra we’re talking about and they have gone underground. This is the first bit of intel that we’ve gotten in months!”

“Cap is right, we need to handle this delicately,” Fury agreed.

“So, what?” Tony asked incredulously, “we just play friendly until we get what we want and then what?”

“SHIELD will handle everything once we get Hydra.”

 

**

Clint clutched at the oh-shit-bar inside the SUV, turning green as Wade drove. “Wade… pull over, I’ll drive.”

“I got it!” Wade assured him as he swung right, Clint gagging as the world tilted and spun. “Plus, you still look a little green around the gills, maybe I should have left you behind, but if you bring her back they will see that you two are friends and she wouldn’t do you any harm!”

Clint groaned as the vehicle came to a screeching halt. “Where are we?” he asked slowly slipping out after Wade, he looked up at the old crumbling brick building. 

“The first stop of the night,” he looked at his watch as he raised a hand and banged on the metal door. “YOOO-HOOO! Rise and shine mother fuckers, got a few questions for you!!!”

“Wade what is this place?” he asked drawing his bow from his shoulder and following Wade into the darkness of the building, eyes darting into each dark corner.

“She goes to places like this, at least she did, back in the day when she couldn’t trust anyone. There are people here who will trade… for thing.”

“You mean she comes to places like this for blood?”

“Better than sucking on rats..” Wade paused, “some of these people though, I’d prefer she suck on a damned rat.”

“Nice reference there.”

Wade shrugged, “what can I say? At least she’s not a sad fuck…”

 

**

“Mason, if Wade is out there.”

“We can trust Hale to take care of herself for a night or two.”

“What if those guys find her again?”

The doors opened and Steve walked in, taking a seat across from them, “hey guys,” he offered them a smile. “Look, honestly, I have never met a vampire before, not to mention ones that are loyal to one.”

“We aren’t slaves,” Mason glared.

Steve pursed his lips, “we want to help.”

“By putting her in a lab and experimenting on her? That’s where I found her and I won’t put her back in one!” Mason growled.

Steve cocked his head, “SHIELD wants to give her a job, we want to learn from her, she’s not like the reports we’ve gotten. Even the one person who has dealt with vampire before agree’s she’s nothing like the one’s she’s faced. Listen, we are offering genuine help. Hydra is just gonna keep coming after her. Do you think you can keep her protected? How long is that gonna last? You gonna keep running with her, from one place to another?”

“Mason…”

“No Roman! No!” he glared at his brother and turned it back to Steve, “NO. Let us go, we were doing fine without you and we’ll continue to do so.”

 

**

Clint wondered for the millionth time how Wade dragged him into such situations. Currently he had a knife held to his throat, bodies falling to the floor of the fifth building they had ‘visited’ and the man behind him had emptied his sig sauer into Wade with no effect.

Well, not no effect. Wade had groaned about having to repair his uniform and that he would likely have to do more laundry.

 “Wade!”

The red and black clad mercenary turned back towards him, the conversation he was holding with himself put on hold, “yes buttercup?”

“A little help?”

Wade smiled stepping towards the two, “aw, you didn’t argue with the nickname!”

“Stay back!” the man behind him screamed, Clint loved having a knife to his throat and having someone yell in his ear.

“Ooooor?” Wade asked, “actually, I like hearing the threats, like you’re really going to have a chance at going through with them!”

Clint grimaced as the knife at his throat slipped, he could feel it cut into his skin, blood dripping. “I don’t need to do anything,” the man growled, “they will do plenty. You heal don’t you? Probably what will happen is they’ll keep you as a never ending source of blood,” he smirked as the three could hear footsteps, “this is my backup, we’ll sell ya both to the vampires!!”

Wade rolled his eyes, “great, Clint, pudding pop? Let’s put a pin in it till I take care of this, could use some help!”

Clint grunted, “kinda held up here.”

“Not you,” he pointed past.

“Fine, but don’t comment on the bloodshed,” she sighed.

“Why are you trying to turn me on in the middle of a fight? Are you trying to distract me? You know how much blood turns me on,” Wade cracked.

“Wade, shut up,” she stopped by the man and Clint, glancing over, placing her hand on the mans shoulder and meeting his eyes. Clint watched as her eyes changed colors, a dark deep red replacing the green of her eyes and flashing before her hand covered his own, “let him go. That one is mine.” Clint was surprised when the man holding him released him without a second's hesitation, letting him step away, he kept his eyes from hers. “Good boy, come here,” she hummed holding her arms out and smiling patiently, Clint stepped towards the two as the man stumbled. Green eyes flashed at him, “look away flyboy,” she growled before turning back towards the man in front of her.

He turned, the sound of flesh tearing deafening, even over the shots that rang out as Wade faced off with several others. A strangled cry slowly dying out and the sound of a body hit the ground. Why was this so shocking to him? He had seen, killed, his fair share. 

Hale smiled as she stepped into his view, red fading slowly, she wanted him to see. Know that she controlled it, controlled herself, her powers, “it’s because you thought I was helpless,” she answered for him whispering as she leaned into him. “I promise-”

Clint was surprised as he pushed her away, “don’t touch me!”

Hale stepped back, light on her feet and Clint swore she reminded him of fairy tales, she floated. “It’s okay, I am fucked up. I understand, vampire are not welcome.” Hale offered him a cold bitter smile, “you humans only want me for what I can do.”

This isn’t what he wanted, why had he done that? “What you can do?” he asked defensively.

She scoffed, “watch and learn flyboy… you’ll see why your SHIELD friends want to ‘help me’.”

Clint blinked and frowned, she had disappeared from his vision, he caught sight of her in the middle of the twenty or so men, Wade whooping loudly as she moved.

She left blood in her wake. Delayed cries of pain, men dropping as she slid between them, and once she came to a stop, it was in front of Wade. Clint grimaced as he caught sight of the red blood filled heart in her hand, watching as she tossed it aside.

Clint couldn’t help the cry of warning from passing his lips as she reached up, both looking over as she held Wade’s jaw in her hand, “Wade, get away from her!!”

“Give him some time, he’ll get over it.” Wade said quietly wrapping an arm around her waist.

“It’s alright Wade, I am used to it.”

“C’mon Hale, don’t be like that.”

She dropped her head, how could she explain that it hurt more when her body and soul cried out for the blond? That with every disgusted look or every denial it cut into her soul? Instead she remained silent and let Wade pull her into his arms.

 

***

Mason and Roman exhaled as Wade walked in with Hale, both men rushing to wrap their arms around her.  “That guy Stark said he was tracking you via the ankle bracelet, we were going to come find you when he said there was no signal.”

Hale smiled up at them, “sorry, I ditched it once I got outta here. Look, I need a shower and some sleep.”

Pushing past they looked at Wade, who sighed and waved them over to the couch, “need to talk.”

Mason frowned, “I’ll go with her.”

Wade caught his arm, “she needs some alone time, give her a few, there’s things to talk about.” He looked at Steve and waved him over, “think you’ll be the most understanding.”

 

**

Hale let out a sigh as the hot water washed over her, she couldn’t get his expression out of her head. The looks the man and woman had given her. “ _ You’re so fucking- so fucked up! _ ” “ _ Don’t touch me! _ ” “ _ Wade, get away from her!! _ ” she choked at the memory of words. Slamming her fist into the wall she stared at the hole she had created. 

She wasn’t normal.

She hadn’t been normal in hundreds of years.

When had she forgotten that? 

She knew exactly when. It was when she had met them, their green eyes and infectious laughter. The easy way they had accepted her. How many times had they said that it didn’t matter? When had it become okay to take from them? She remembered when she had first accepted to stay with them, she kept her feedings from the house, paid for blood. She still had those old contacts.

Finishing up in the shower she stepped out into the bedroom and sighed, “have fun waiting?”

“You ready to take us up on our offer?”

Hale shifted from one foot to the other, crossing her arms over her chest. She nodded lightly. 

“I know you’ll want to keep those men with you, but we are only offering you a job,” he said to clear any questions.

Hale leaned against the doorframe, “I know. I understand what the offer is. They’ll understand.” Green eyes slid to the floor, “I don’t force them to stay with me. I-” she shook her head, “I’ve never wanted this for them.”

Nick nodded, “I didn’t think otherwise.”

“I didn’t want to be this.”

“I understand that.”

Hale stilled, “I didn’t hurt the pretty bird.”

Nick chuckled, “no, no you did not.”

“He doesn’t like me…”   
“No one understands what you are, we don’t, but we are willing to learn. The reports we have on vampires are from a different world, the ones we’ve encountered were unapologetically bloodthirsty.”

“I am not, though there are some that would rather rip your throat out than hear you breathe.”

“We want learn about you.”

Hale smirked, “with an offer to work for you. Willingly sign myself into slavery.”

“Nobody is forcing you too. You’ll get your own place and be surrounded by agents who will keep you safe. Everything is voluntary, also, no cage, no chains.”

“You’ll want to run tests?”

“Exams. Training sessions. To see what your capabilities are. No torture and only what you agree to.”

“When do we go?”

***


	6. Chapter 6

Clint sat back in the plush chair, listening quietly as the two men talked about the vampire woman. Steve was nodding, listening as well. He wanted a reason to like her, a part of him begging him to like her, he stuffed that part down. He didn’t need to like a vampire.

 

“Listen, she doesn’t tell us what to do, she could have, if anything its her that’s stuck with us and not the other way around,” Roman explained.

“She would forget to eat…”

“She’d stay in bed all day if we weren’t around…”

“She forgets to water the plants if I don’t text her…” Mason cut in.

“There was one time we went to visit friends out of state, she insisted we needed time without her!”

Mason chuckled and then a shocked expression crossed his features, “we literally found her in the same spot we left her in.”

Roman threw his hands up. “She’s not like what the movies and media portray vampires to be, literally-ugh, she’s completely hopeless!”

Mason’s face scrunched up as he laughed, “remember that time she couldn’t get that song out of her head?”

Roman rolled his eyes, “god, all the time!”

“And when a spider crawled into her hair?”

Roman broke out into laughter. “She literally flew through a wall!” He paused for a moment, “her memory is so bad…”

Clint stared at his hands.

“She hypnotized my friend over there.” Steve said quietly.

Mason growled, “as if you haven’t made a mistake before? You turned SHIELD inside out to save your friend, and it turns out the entire operation was a front for the men that are hunting her! Don’t sit there and tell us your new SHIELD is so perfect…”

Steve held his hands up, “we want to help, but we have to be assured of safety.”

Roman placed a hand on Mason’s shoulder. “She won’t viciously attack a person.”

“Not what I saw,” Clint said matter of factly.

“That’s not fair!” Wade shouted looking at him incredulously, “that man had a knife to your throat and had shot me several times!”

“She saved your life and still you doubt her?!” Mason growled angrily.

“She ripped his throat out with her teeth,” Clint said.

“And I sliced several men in half but you’re not painting me to be the bad guy!” Wade stood pacing and shaking his head.

“These are the people you work with?! They are supposed to help Wade?! We could take care of her better alone, have been and here we trusted you for this one thing and look?!” Mason pounded his fist on the table top, “Hale just wants to be left alone, she doesn’t attack like some animal, doesn’t kill people!”

“Hey, come on now… let’s all cool off here…”

The door opened and Tony stuck his head in, “hey, talks are over, come on. Let these guys go have some time with their girl.”

Both men stood with a sigh and left, Steve nodded at Wade who followed quickly leaving the three men alone. “What happened?”

Tony ran a hand over his face, “she accepted Fury’s offer. Now she’s his problem.”

 

**

Hale laughed as the boys walked alongside her. Her eyes flickered, inspecting every little shadow, Roman caught her hand in his and Mason leaned in to whisper in her ear. 

“I feel left out.” The three looked over at the tall idiot behind them as they shut the door to the room she was given.  

“Wade!” she hummed as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his body into hers from behind, “you are never left out!” her laugh rang out as Mason bumped into them, Roman complaining as he stumbled a bit and pressed back into the group with a wide smile.

“What did Fury say?” Wade asked.

Hale shook her head, “let’s not talk shop? I want to spend time with my boys, not much to ask right? And the night is cool, the stars are out, we can watch for a bit hmm?” Wade nodded, walking along with her still in his arms. Hale laughed as he practically carried her into the elevator and onto the roof. “It is massive, who owns all of this?”

“Stark, though SHIELD does often work out of the compound. Lot of the Avengers stay on site during busy weeks of missions, though they all have homes aside,” Wade answered.

“Must be nice being rich,” Mason commented, arms loaded with supplies, a rare grin on his lips.

Hale nudged him, “we do alright with our own business.”

“We would be lost without you,” he sassed back.

Hale chewed on her bottom lip, watching him quietly as he set about with the large comforters he had stolen from the rooms. How often had they done this? It was her favorite thing to do and Mason had initially hated stopping work to look at stars, often grumbling about wasting time. Over time, they had somehow added blankets, and then pillows joined the three, finally evolving to a nice fort Mason had built with little lights installed by Roman.

She wanted to go home. The strength of her want was enough to create an ache in her chest.

But, she had put them in danger. Hydra had come for her at home. If they had been home...

Roman squeezed her hand, “with us?”

Hale smiled softly, bringing his hand to her lips and kissing his knuckles, “of course.”

“Can I have your drink?”

“Wade!” both brothers cried.

Hale laughed as he pulled her down onto the covers. “I broke the ankle thing…”

Wade shrugged, “not like they don’t have billions stashed away..”

 

**

Clint needed some time to think.

He did his best thinking up high. Where the wind was a bit chilly and away from the noise of the busy compound. He thought about calling Nat, even though she was on mission and was not supposed to be contacting them she would answer him. 

Instead he had a conversation with her in his head.

“What do I do Nat?”

‘ _ Make a different call _ .’

“She’s a vampire.”

‘ _ So? _ ’

Clint rolled his eyes.

‘ _ Do not roll your eyes at me. Have you ever met a vampire before? _ ’

“Well, no. But, fangs? Hypnosis, you know I don’t like having my brain washed.”

‘ _ She did give you a choice _ .’

“Not really.”

‘ _ You wanted it _ .’

“I am done with this.”

_ ‘Wade was right, you have a crush on her. _ ’ He pouted, he didn’t like this conversation with inside-his-head-Nat. ‘ _ She’s sweet with those boys, from what you’ve shown me she’s not some blood sucking monster _ .’ Nat sighed and he frowned, ‘ _ you’re the one that wants to get to know people before writing them off. What makes her different? You scared of the feelings you have for her? Remember, you didn’t write me off and look at me now. _ ’

“Nat-” He stopped when the door to the roof opened, watching to see who would intrude on his favorite spot.

“It is massive, who owns all of this?” her voice carried across into the cool night air.

They hadn’t spotted him, so Clint stayed in his spot, crouched behind one of the large cooling vents. Well, he supposed it was a cooling vent. He watched as Wade dropped onto the large barely placed comforter and the two other men automatically dropped beside him. Laughter rang out and Clint shifted onto his backside, knees drawn up, elbows on knees. He dropped his head to his arms and listened to them chatter. Roman was pointing out and correcting Wade till he figured out that the other was completely making up his own constellations. 

Clint almost fell asleep waiting for a moment to sneak away. It was a draft of cold wind that made him shiver and shake, his muscles screamed at him for being in the same position for such a long time in the cold. Letting out a little groan he hoisted himself onto his feet and peeked around the corner, the group was still, quiet, a pile of limbs, asleep he supposed. 

Ducking back he turned and came face to face with Hale. Clint was surprised as she caught his shirt, keeping him from stumbling back. 

A flicker of emotion crossed her features as he shoved her hands off him, “I will be leaving,” she said quietly, her green eyes flickering over his shoulder to the group of men laying not far from them. 

“Why are you telling me?”

Hale took a step towards him and Clint stepped back, she smiled ruefully at him. “So that you will not be afraid.” Clint scoffed, “I did not mean you harm,” she went on, looking down, the smile falling from her lips. “I truly did like you flyboy, can I ask for one thing?”

Clint licked his lips, “what would a vampire need from someone like me?” he asked. 

She shrank back, “isn’t it enough?” she asked quietly. Clint managed a small noise, Hale sighed, eyes flickering back over his shoulder, “they are idiots. Mason will more than likely try to come after me. You need to keep him from doing so.”

Clint narrowed his eyes at her, “why?”

She smiled up at him, “they deserve a life without me. They do, “she sighed, the words unconvincing even to her ears. “I did not want to be this… what I am,“ her hands motioning to herself, “meeting you has reminded me that I will be here long after they are gone, I should not be around to-” her shoulders lifted and dropped with the breath she released. “You are so honest with your feelings about what I am and I have been fooling myself. Pretending to have a family, pretending that I can be normal, a human, to have brothers that care for me.”

Clint swallowed, he had been too judgemental, hadn’t even gotten to know her and he had quickly written her off. Something which was out of character and he wondered why? “You shouldn’t make rash decisions,” he advised, he should listen more to Nat-inside-his-head. 

Green eyes bore into him, she tilted her head to the side, lips quirking up at the corners, “you are a kind man,” she said, “but it’s not a rash decision. It’s a good one.”

Clint ran his hand over the back of his neck. “If you leave without telling them they’ll only go after you.”

Hale rolled back on her heels, “that is why you have to do me the favor of keeping them here. I will do what I have never done to them before. At least not intentionally.”

“Not intentionally?”

“I have been mindful to never charm them, but earlier, the other day, I did it to you.”

Clint swallowed, “Wade says you would have stopped.”

Hale ducked her head, “Wade,” she chuckled softly, “Wade is a romantic,” she shook her head, “no, I don’t think I would have.”

“You did,” he asserted taking a step towards her. This was his fault, she had come to this decision due to his actions.

She turned away from him, laughter filling the space between them, when she looked over her slender shoulder at him her green eyes had a ring of black, and they were darkening. Clint watched as they completely turned and he stepped back, stumbling as she smiled, fangs elongating right before him. “This is my true nature and one cannot change what they are.” She turned as he licked his lips, facing him once more and stalking towards him.

Clint knew what it was like to be stalked by a predator, how many times had he faced them? More times than he could count, especially when Wade was involved, so when she stepped towards him he stepped back. When he spoke, nothing came out, clearing his throat he tried again, “y-you can change who you are. If you work at it.”

She smirked at him, “make a different call?” she asked mockingly, he flinched. “I am Vampire, we can see and hear things others cannot. Whispered words are screams to my ears, if you carry on a conversation with yourself others will hear.”   
“Wade does it all the time,” he grunted when his back hit the cooling vent and he sucked in his breath when she stopped an inch from him.

“Wade speaks with the voices that are inside his head, he speaks with others we cannot see, is that what you were doing?” she asked reaching up and touching his chin. Clint shook his head surprised at how warm her hand was when she cupped his jaw. He watched in fascination as her eyes cleared, the black dissipating like clouds on a sunny day, green and gold returning, a smidge of dark brown. He could stare into her eyes indefinitely.

He wondered if she could hear his heart had picked up pace? It thundered in his own ears.

“Please,” she whispered pressing into him, “please watch over them?” Clint nodded and stepped forwards when she moved back, a pleased smile gracing her lips.

“I can’t say for how long I’ll be able to keep them,” he called after her as she moved towards the group of sleeping men.

Hale stopped, “just a day will do. It’ll be okay. Thank you fl- Agent Barton.”

Clint wasn’t sure why that hurt. He made his way off the roof, why? She confused him, his mind reeling. He had read the reports, vampires were evil. But she was soft. Tender. There was something that made him lean into her, want to see her. He felt like a schoolboy with a damned crush on the pretty girl. Something in him that wanted her attention, even if he treated her differently. Was that why he pushed away from her? 

He stopped in his tracks realizing that it wasn’t about her being a vampire and more about the damned pull she had over him. He didn’t need anyone inside his head.

Yet, there she was. 

The first thought when he woke.

Ever since she had jumped out that damned plane.

It was infuriating. 

He had been completely lost in his thoughts when he realized someone was calling his name. “Steve?”

The blond frowned, “you alright?” Clint shook his head, offering a smile. “She have that much of an effect on you? I don’t think it’s a good idea, but she is leaving.” Steve frowned when Clint only nodded, looking away from him. “What would Nat say?” he grinned when the archer looked at him, “I think you have your answer, anyway, I did destroy SHIELD for a friend, so you can’t really trust my decision making.” He shook his head with a quick chuckle. 


	7. Chapter 7

Google. Search.

**_vam·pire_ **

_ /ˈvamˌpī(ə)r/ _

_  Learn to pronounce _

_ noun _

_ 1. _

_ a corpse supposed, in European folklore, to leave its grave at night to drink the blood of the living by biting their necks with long pointed canine teeth. _

_ 2. _

_ a small bat that feeds on the blood of mammals or birds using its two sharp incisor teeth and anticoagulant saliva, found mainly in tropical America. _

 

Clint frowned at his phone.

Top 50 Vampires:

1.Dracula

2.Deacon Frost

3.Marcus Van Sciver

4.Sanatanico Pandemonium

5.Reinhardt

6.Eric Northman

 

Clint tossed his phone onto the table, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. 

‘ _ Make a different call _ ’. 

‘ _ This is my true nature and one cannot change what they are _ ’. 

Why had he reacted that way to her? He never judged a person by what they showed the world, he always dug deeper. 

‘ _ Its because you thought I was helpless _ ,’ her voice echoed in his mind. 

Was that really it? She’s a vampire, he hadn’t worked with Bucky’s girl Alice much, but he had read the reports, everything those two had been through. Her reports of what vampires were and what they could do, vampire from her realm, from her home. 

This wasn’t her home, not her type of vampire. 

Then again, the vampire could be fooling them. 

Wade had been adamant though, he knew Hale, had worked with her before and she hadn’t gone blood crazy, had never attempted to attack anyone out of pure frenzy. Her attacks had been pure work related and she hadn’t bitten or made any vampire herself from what Wade had said.

How did that work? He wondered, he would have to ask Alice next time he saw her. Running a hand down his face he let out a small groan when he heard Wade.

“CliiiiIIiiiIIIinnnt!!” Wade sung his name skipping over to him where he sat at the kitchen counter, he grabbed Clint’s coffee mug and frowned at the empty cup, “your cup is never empty.” He narrowed his eyes at Clint, “what’s wrong?”

Clint shook his head, “nothing, I don’t know what your talking about, I was just going to make another cup.”

Wade frowned, “I think I am gonna go check on Hale…”

Clint stood, “I’ll go with you.”

Wade nodded. The two walking to the elevator, Clint groaned when Wade started in on him, “couldn’t stay away from me huh? Come here often, if not I can make you come more than once.”

“Wade..”

“Hah ha! Or was I right? You finally gonna ask her out?”

Clint shook his head as the elevator doors opened to the floor the three were staying on. He knew he was supposed to distract them, he should be talking Wade into going out for hotdogs or a burger, if he just names pretty much any food item he could distract his friend. He just decided he didn’t want to. He had done plenty by not saying anything so far, Hale would just have to deal with it.

 

***

“What made you change your mind?”

“Who’s to say I’ve changed it?”

Bucky snickered, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back into him, chin dropping onto her shoulder. “Like I don’t know what’s going on through that head of yours?”

Alice closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of her man pressed close. “You don’t,” she added pointedly.

Bucky pouted, swaying them side to side gently. “Well,” he started, “maybe not exactly what is going on up there but… I can tell your mullin’ things over.”

She turned in his arms, hands skating up his chest and around his neck, “she’s different. She’s not.. Like them. There’s humanity left in her. It’s odd.”

Bucky smiled, leaning in and brushing his lips against hers, enough to have her tipping her chin up and making her narrow her eyes at him. “So, who we gonna talk to then? Steve, Tony, or Fury?”

“That man..” she scowled.

He couldn’t resist capturing her lips with his then, pleased when her scowl disappeared under his determination, “maybe we can talk to one of them later? After we- hammer out all the discussion points?”

She beamed at him as he started walking her backwards. “That sounds like a plan!”

“Fuck.”

She looked at him in concern, “what is it?”

“That guy Wade’s voice just popped in my head for no reason!”

Alice burst into giggles, tugging at him, “let me give you something else to occupy your thoughts.”

Bucky’s scowl turned into a smile, “that sounds like a plan.”

 

***

Hale sat stone still, there were three men in the back of the vehicle with her. She kept her eyes closed, playing the previous night in her mind's eye. Keeping the feel of arms and legs wrapped around her close to her heart, it kept her calm, she had made the right choice. She was sure of it. Mason and Roman would find a nice girl, they could settle down and more than likely live a full happy life. She knew they dated, but they had never brought a woman home.

She flinched, home. It wasn’t home. She had to remind herself, a vampire could have no home. 

The men were chattering, southeastern part of Utah, they were talking about how hot it was out there. Bright, sunny all day. She shifted in her seat, the men on edge, not that they needed to worry, aside from having her hands cuffed she had agreed to wear the collar. Fury had said it wasn’t necessary but she knew that it would ease the others.

Hale took a shaky breath, they would forget her. She knew that agreeing to Fury meant that she would be buried, they would want to study her, find out what exactly made her vampire. How many years had she dodged this? How many had tried to capture her just to study what she was? Hydra had her once before, she thought they had forgotten about her but they had just been waiting patiently till she became complacent. She couldn’t put her boys in that situation again. They were better off without her.

At least she would have the memory of the last ten years with the Vale brothers and Wade.

Her mind wandered, she had seen his interest in her. He had been interested, had been attracted, until it had been replaced with fear over what she was. He hadn’t hidden his disgust, she hadn’t thought that it would matter, but it had surprised her when it had more than bothered her, it had hurt. She had become too familiar, allowing the brothers to make her feel normal. 

As if she had any right.

 

***

Wade pulled his arm back.

“Wade!” Clint exclaimed. 

“WAKE UP DAMMIT!” Wade growled after his hand flew across Mason’s cheek.

Clint watched as Wade flew back, Mason’s fist having connected soundly. The dark haired brother groaned and scrubbed at his face. “Why do I feel like I have a fuckin hangover?”

Roman stumbled into the room as Wade sat up, “Hale is gone.”

Clint jerked when all eyes turned to him. “Whoa,” he held his hands in front of him. 

“Where is she?” Mason demanded.

“Don’t you know?” he countered.

Roman cleared his throat, “we’re both suffering from hangover symptoms, which means she used her charm on us. No idea how long we’ve been out,” he looked at his watch and frowned, “you owe us flyboy, it’s fuckin’ past midday, who knows how far she‘s gotten?”

Clint dropped his head, “she didn’t want you guys to follow.” Hands caught at his shirt, his back hitting the wall as Mason shoved him against it hard. “She said you guys needed to live without her!”

Mason growled, “this is your fault! I knew she was acting weird after meeting you, worse after that hunter showed up! What is it that makes you hate her? Because she’s a vampire?!”

Clint shoved him back, “vampires suck the blood out of people, they’re no good!”

Mason stepped back, laughter erupting from him.

Wade stared, a worried look shared between him and Roman, “I think he broke him.”

Mason shook his head, “we’re wasting time. We need to find her, this idiot wants to miss out on her fine, we don’t have to change their minds, not his, not his teammates, not anyone. We know who she is, we know what she’s made of. I am not abandoning her.”

Wade nodded, “Rome is right, Clint owes us.”

 

Tony wasn’t surprised when FRIDAY informed him a quin-jet had been taken. He just noted it and went back to work, or rather back to the meeting he had been in.

 

***

“What do you think?”

“What?”

“Where do you think we are?”

“Listen man, are we there yet is just more straight forward, and we’re in the middle of the desert, fucking Utah, told you not to fall asleep..”

“I didn’t!”

The other snorted, chuckling, “yeah, can’t blame you, transport is pretty easy and it’s a great way to get some much needed sleep, especially after running ops…”

Hale smirked, eyes still closed, their voices droning out as she thought about Mason and Roman bickering. 

“No one knows where we are right?”

“That’s right, almost there.”

“You sure?”

“Well, those at SHIELD that know that she’s surrendered. Like the Director, us, the few that work at the Avengers compound. Why?”

“I think we’re being followed.”

“Shit.”

Hale peeked an eye open, craning her neck, sure enough there were two dark SUV’s following the transport van she was in. “Hydra…” The men jumped on their radio’s, she sat, exhausted, how much longer would this go on for? A small voice answered and she turned to the man on her right, “you’ll want to take the collar off me.” He frowned, shaking his head, “don’t argue, they are after me and will kill all of you to get me. Now, pull out the key and release me,” she urged staring into his eyes.

“Your charm thing won’t work while you have that on, that’s why we put it on you.”

“I let you put it on me, now I am telling you, you will want to remove it before everything goes to shit.”

He glared at her, shaking his head and turning to shout at the driver as they sped up,the following suvs speeding up as well. Hale watched as they flanked the vehicle, the driver shouting as two others joined ahead swerving in front of them. She watched as the men pulled their weapons. 

“There’s more of them,” she pointed out, “please, just let me out of this thing? I promise once I take care of them I will get back in…”

 

***

Mason growled, they had been traveling too long now. Roman kept his eyes closed, one earbud in, “stop twitching.”

“I am not twitchin’,” Mason leveled a glare at him.

“We’re in the middle of a fucking desert, pretty sure Hale is going insane,” Wade cut in.

“Aside from the sun… pretty sure she’s not too happy ‘bout all the bad guys!” Clint cut in from his spot in the pilots seat.

The three men moved forwards, there, in the center of the lone road out here under the blinding sun, was one SHIELD SUV, surrounded by several unmarked cars. They could hear the tell tale distant pat-pat of gunshots.

“Why is she always in the middle?” Roman asked.

Mason smirked, “would we love her if she wasn’t in the middle of trouble?”

“Remember that time in Italy?”

“Remember that time in India?”

“I remember that time in Bora Bora,” the brothers groaned looking at Wade in disgust.

“Guess we’re doing this then?” Clint mumbled pushing the quin-jet forwards.


	8. Chapter 8

Hale stumbled to her feet, they had abandoned the safety of the car, much to her chagrin. Trained agents or not they were outnumbered, why they felt the need to step out and ‘take care of business’, she had no idea. 

Men.

Thankfully they had no presence of mind to lock the doors, unfortunately her hands were behind her. She had struggled to open the door but had tumbled out once she had managed it.

She blinked away the blindness from the scorching sun overhead and sighed, blowing out a puff of air which she believed lost all strength in the brightness. She knew that she had less strength in the sun, doubly so with this damned collar on her, she growled to herself as she tried to regain her footing. 

The gunfire brought her back into focus, there were Hydra agents surrounding them. She was what they wanted, how they found her was of little importance now, green eyes narrowed on the man that had been sitting across from her, keys. He had the keys.

 

Agent Devon had been with SHIELD for little over a year, he had worked his ass off for it. This was just a transport job, nothing more. He had been all over working for SHIELD, he needed something easy, this was supposed to be easy. When he had laid eyes on the small woman he had sighed in relief. Even without the collar he was sure she was harmless, she was so small!

Why was Hydra after her? He ducked as a bullet zinged past his ear, looked up as a low whine filled the air, a quinjet appearing above, flying past, had they called for backup? The kid must have… he looked around, the kid, he was new!! There, just a few feet away the blond was ducked down, hands over his head. Devon paused, she was headed straight for him, how had she gotten out of the car?!

Wade and Mason were off first, both men sprinting out into the middle of fire, Roman following, Clint on his heels. The two closest SHIELD agents glad to see an Avenger appear with back up. 

Devon ducked and rolled, he cried out as Hale reached the young man, shoving him to his belly. He ignored her shudder before she was moving towards him, her body slamming into his was unlike any hit he’d taken to date. He landed in the dirt hard enough to knock the damned wind out of his lungs and blacken his vision, when he came to he was staring up at the bright blue of the sky, the sound of gunfire like a backdrop while jingling filled his ears. He lifted his head off the ground to find her straddling him, he made a noise just before the collar fell off onto his chest. 

She raised an eyebrow and smirked down at him, “the collar mutes some things, but not everything, the sun weakens me but I’m not gonna burst into flames” she patted his chest, “look after the kid while I take care of business will ya?”

He watched as she stood above him, “w-wait!”

Hale smiled, “promise I’ll be back!”

 

**

Mason zeroed in on her, it was hard not to when she moved freely. Gunshots were interrupted and he could hear the soft sound of grunts as she bodily slammed into the enemy. “Moving forwards!”

“Not without me pretty boy,” Wade grunted as a bullet hit him in the shoulder and he returned fire, “I didn’t say you could do that!!”

Mason smirked as he ran after the merc.

Clint followed suit, watching as Roman kept up, he was sure the blond wasn’t used to this, but the look of determination kept him from saying anything. Especially when Roman cut down a few Hydra agents. Tech guy only… right. He paused, what was it about her that called the loyalty of three full grown men like them? 

Wade was always making light of situations, but he never gave up on a person which wasn’t surprising. Mason was military trained, he understood men like him, even Roman, the guy was a tech genius. Clint would figure it out, once they got past these Hydra.

 

** 

Hale let out a curse, she could hear Roman’s heartbeat skip, Mason and Wade going off as Hydra turned their focus on them instead of the few SHIELD that had become tired and run out of ammo. She watched as the tall blond rounded a vehicle, flyboy behind him. Why was he here? Maybe he had been bored, he hadn’t kept his word. She was going to have to have a few words with him.

“ Lovin' you is easy 'cause you're beautiful, Makin' love with you is all I wanna do, Lovin' you is more than just a dream come true, And everything that I do is out of lovin' you, La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la, Do do do do do!!”

“Wade shut up, you shouldn’t even be here!” she growled.

The red and black merc cackled as he slid his sword through the midsection of a Hydra agent, dancing away, blood spurting onto the ground. “That is no way to say thank you to someone you left behind and is currently working-” he grunted as he ducked and swung, “through mass bodies, I’m spilling blood everywhere for you!” he cried indignantly.

“Very romantic!” she called back making her way towards Roman who ducked back bumping into Clint. 

Mason shook his head, “if I didn’t know any better I would say you two were married,” he growled.

“ **_HALE!!_ ** ”

“I’m on my way Roman!” she cried, Mason pausing as he knelt behind cover as the area around him was sprayed with bullets. “Wade?!” it was hot, she was tired, and pissed. They shouldn’t be here. Why were they here? 

“I got tall and beefy, don’t worry about him!”

“Ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath and bolted across the open space between them. 

Roman stepped towards her, she was bleeding. 

“Holy shit!” Wade cried out, “They’re pulling out the big guns!” he grabbed the back of Mason’s vest and ran, the older Vale grunting as he did so, cursing as his new viewpoint allowed him to see a Hydra agent shouldering what looked like an RPG. 

Roman blinked, she moved too quick for him to keep track of her. The next thing he knew he was back on the jet, the feeling of her lips a ghost on his cheek. “HALE!!” he screamed running to the jets exit.

Clint had been staring at the back of Roman’s head. Had been, where he got off to he wasn’t sure. “Fuck!” he cried out as she appeared in front of him.

“We could but it’ll have to be later,” she sassed with a smirk.

Clint pulled back, but there was a sound and he realized he knew that sound a little too late. It was the same sound he heard when Tony shot off a missile. He had just seconds before it went off, the explosion was close, loud, ringing in his ears muting everything after. Opening his eyes he could see her above him, it took a second for him, but he realized she was asking if he was alright. Her lips forming the words deliberately till he zeroed in on them, he shouldn’t want to kiss her but at that moment he did. 

_ ‘Alright?! _ ’ her lips formed, ‘ _ are you alright? _ ’ she asked leaning in over him, blocking his eyes from the debris which still rained down on them, dust barely settling around them.

“ **FINE, I’M FINE!!** ” he answered loudly.

Hale couldn’t help it, she chuckled as he shouted his answer. Sitting up Hale looked around, there was a lull in gunfire. She could hear Roman yelling for her. Clint’s large hands landed on her thighs, he was trying to move her off him, she stayed in place. 

Something was wrong. 

Clint could feel the ground shifting beneath him, crumbling, it opened up and he was falling, her legs tightening around his waist, arms wrapped around him and she shifted them mid-air. It didn’t stop the falling and it felt like it went on forever before suddenly it all stopped and the abrupt stop jolted his entire being. He could literally feel his brain ping-pong inside his skull before darkness sucked him in.

 

*** 

When he woke he woke with a cough, he could feel every inch of his body as his body shook with the fit, he was sure he had swallowed the entire fucking desert. Every muscle screamed at him in protest, even the ones that he didn’t know he had as he did so. A groan escaped him as he sat up in the dark, more followed as he managed to get to his feet.

“Y-you okay?”

He spun around, the ringing in his ears a bit less prominent. “Where are you?” he asked, voice hoarse. 

“Back here...no… stop, now t-turn to your left..left,” she finished on a whisper.

Clint’s eyes finally adjusted and he spotted her sitting against what his best guess was the wall, her knees drawn up to her chest, chin resting on them. He stepped back, looking up, he could make out the blue sky, a small hole above them in the darkness surrounding them.

“I think we fell into some caves,” she supplied from her spot, “underground caverns or whatever… which is nice after the damned sun.. ‘s cool down here.”

Clint backed up, he could feel blood trickling from his right ear, he could feel the scratches and bruising that were sure to follow. “Stay where you are,” he said, he didn’t like how harshly that came out or how quickly.

She snorted, a hand flicking towards him dismissively. “No problem there.”

Clint stumbled back, dropping to the floor. “How long have I been out?”

“Watched you for about twenty minutes? I don’t know how long I was out, but the sun is starting to go down, it’s kinda chilly down here already, how you feeling Agent Barton?”

“Everything aches.” Hale smirked tiredly, he could see that in the dark, his eyesight sharper than others, already adjusting quickly. “You okay? I can’t remember hitting bottom…”

“I took the brunt of the hit, you landed… atop, God don’t tell Wade, he’ll have the dirtiest comeback.”

Clint chuckled. “Wade… let me check my comms, see if they’re working.” 

“They’re not, thought I could hear Mason a bit ago, they’re trying to figure a way down to us.”

“A bit ago?”

Hale chewed on her bottom lip, she was losing blood, she had taken too many bullets, she had shielded him from the brunt of the blast, thank God for the vest they had put her in before. Still, her shoulders ached and the bullet wounds had stopped healing, she was bleeding too much. She supposed it was the exposure to the sun combined with wearing that damned collar. “Just a bit tired.”   
She sounded tired, did vampires get tired? He didn’t think they would. “Thought you vampires were all powerful?”

She snickered. “Did you learn about vampires through the media?”

Clint was worried, he could hear her struggling to breathe. She had said she took the brunt of the hit, he remembered her arms wrapping around him, he had struggled, but she had spun them mid-air. “Hale?” she hummed, he could see her eyelashes sweeping down, one arm tucked between her knees around her midsection, the other laying idly by her side. “Hale?” he frowned, brows pressing together. She didn’t answer this time and he shifted forwards, “Hale?” he was crawling towards her now, reaching out and brushing his hand over her cheek. 

“Don’t,” she whispered. “I can smell your blood.”

Clint cocked his head to the side, “you need blood.”

She sighed, “‘m fine.”

“You’re not,” he knew something was wrong and he crawled closer, “Hale, are those bullet wounds?”

She lifted her head lazily, “hm, yes, they are. Pesky things guns, back in the day-” she dropped her head forwards, hair tumbling over her shoulder, “back in the day… muskets gave you a chance, reload and that,” she smiled, but her eyes fell closed.

“Hale, keep your eyes open, lemme see that.” 

“Aren’t you afraid Clint?” she asked prying her eyes open.

He pursed his lips together, “lift your head, open your eyes, look at me.” He fell back when she snapped her teeth at him, but fell against the wall behind her in exhaustion. “Stubborn woman!” he groused scooting forwards and catching her face in his hands, “Hale, open your eyes, stay with me.”   
“So loud,” she complained sighing as her eyes fluttered closed.

Clint pushed her legs down, crawling in closer to her, “what did you do with Roman?”

“Jet.”

Clint sucked in his breath when he looked down, she had two bullet wounds under her ribs, one in her shoulder, the SHIELD vest they had put on her had been useful for a few bullets but done nothing for the three that had hit home. Bruises and cuts littered the skin that was exposed through torn fabric, “Hale, aren’t you supposed to be healing?”

“Too tired, need sleep.”

“You mean blood?”

“Stop confusing me with mainstream media Agent, but yes,” she confessed hesitantly. “Just because I am vampire, immortal does not mean I can’t be hurt, I still bleed Agent.”

His mouth went dry, how did he answer that? What did one say? Vampire were immortal, they devastated homes, killing and wreaking havoc, so said reports. She wasn’t like that. “Clint, call me Clint.” She grunted quietening, sighing as his hands slipped over her limbs. “How old are you?” she gave him a look, “fine, wrong question to ask a woman,” he chuckled pulling off his vest, followed by his shirt leaving him in his black tank, she watched him silently as he ripped it apart. He stopped when she made a noise, “I don’t have a medkit with me, so this will have to do until Wade can get to us.” A small nod and he was carefully shifting her to wrap her midsection up, “so, how did you meet Wade?”

Hale couldn’t help but take in his scent, her body screaming at her to take what she needed, instead she let him handle her, and leaned back biting her bottom lip fangs extending and cutting into it as she turned her face from him. “Clint, don’t let them,” she struggled to find the words as his blue eyes met her gaze, blood loss making it hard to think straight. “I can’t go b-back to Hydra,” she gasped, a sort of whimper leaving her. “I can’t go through that again.”

Clint frowned, “no, I won’t let them take you.” He listened to her murmur, she wasn’t making sense, saying words but there was no coherent structure to them and try as he might he couldn’t get her to look at him. He didn’t like this, he preferred her glaring at him, stomping around and joking with Wade and the Vale brothers. “Hale, what did they do to you?”

She looked at him, focusing on him, “what didn’t they do?” she asked lips turning down, “they did everything and then some, they’ll do it again.” She reached out grabbing his arm, surprising him, “don’t let them, please? I would rather die.”

Clint understood now, knew why the men were quick to come after her. She was just Hale. She just wanted to be left alone, she had accepted SHIELD’s offer so that the danger that followed her would not be extended to the brothers. She didn’t want to leave them, but it was in her opinion, the best thing for them.

Clint shook his head, “I won’t let them take you.”


	9. Chapter 9

He promised. A promise that shouldn’t have been uttered and even though she knew one could not possibly keep that sort of promise it made her smile weakly. He was trying to comfort her, he was trying with her, was he thinking of her differently then?

Hale couldn’t keep her eyes open, but hissed when he pulled her forward, wrapping her midsection tight. She clung to him unable to stop the whimpers, dragging in a gasp as he tied it off. Tears streaking down her cheeks, she buried her face in his chest, dragging in his scent, “smell good.” Clint swallowed, tensing as she nuzzled into him. Hale felt him stiffen as she sighed happily and jerked back suddenly aware of her actions, “SORRY! I DIDN’T MEAN-” a lump stuck in her throat and she struggled to swallow the anguished cry. It was a fleeting moment, the pain that came with the realization that he was still afraid of her...

Why did it hurt so much? Why did he hate her? She’d done nothing to him, had in fact kept away from him when her entire being only wanted to be within inches of him. Something deep inside of her calling to him, craving him, seeking him out. The thought of what it mean thad terrified her and despite her best attempts to swallow it, a sob of desperation tore up through her when she connected with the wall behind her.

Clint growled, pulling her forward, hand at the back of her head, “stop hurting yourself!”

“Nnn, like you care,” she choked out.

“I didn’t say- can you- what are you doing?” he asked letting her go as she wriggled in his arms.

“I get it. I KNOW!” she screamed, though she knew it came out weakly. “You hate me.”

“I don’t hate you, that, here, will you come here?” he asked moving over and pulling her into his arms. Clint shifted under her and tucked her into his lap, pulling her head to his chest.

Hale didn’t know what to do, she pulled away, but when he kept his hand on her head she relaxed in his arms, too tired and weak to fight, not that she wanted to.

“You put yourself in the line of fire for SHIELD agents, I saw that, you did the same for Roman, and then you took the fall. That would have killed me. Plus, your not out here ripping out throats.”

Hale managed a snort. “Mmm.”

Clint dropped his head back against the wall. She was so small, she curled further into his lap, shuddering slightly. “Cold?” he asked ignoring the feeling that had been growing between them. The niggling curiosity about her, how he thought about her too much, had already memorized her smile even if he had made it disappear from the moment they met. He scowled, why was he such an asshole?

“Mmhmm,” she took in a small breath, “you’ll tolerate me so long as I don’t suck everyone dry?”

Clint tensed, “I mean… you’re not what I expected from a  vampire. The reports I’ve read all say vampires are evil blood suckers that will kill indiscriminately.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Well, I know that now.” Clint felt her shake against him, a small bubble of laughter that died out quickly. She leaned into him and tucked her head under his chin, he didn’t push her away. He could feel her relax after a moment, she had been ready to pull away if he had tensed and he hated that he had fucked things up so much between them. 

Silence stretched between them, he could hear her struggling to breathe, body shivering in his lap, her fingers curled loosely around the material of his top against his chest. She was so small, strong and stubborn, absolutely reckless, which he knew was why she and Wade got along. Perhaps that’s why Mason liked her as well, but there was something… gentle about her. A small peace that she carried, it seemed to infect the brothers and even Wade seemed happier around her.

She didn’t make a move when he heard a loud clatter, looking into the darkness he felt joy as he recognized a ladder. The men must have found it on the jet. “Hold on Hale, we’re getting out of here,” she didn’t answer and he could see she had become far more pale. Lifting her as he stood he made his way over to the center and looked up, nothing. Darkness completely filled the space above him.

“Hale? This is gonna be tricky, I need you to be able to hold on can you do that?” he hook her gently till she nodded slightly and he knew he was running out of time. He set her down pulling on her belt and her hand on his stopped him, meeting her half lidded eyes he softened his tone, “look, I need it, gonna tie you to my back so that if you let go on accident you don’t fall okay?” She didn’t complain when he pulled her belt off, quickly followed by his. Clint lifted her shifting her to his back with apologies as she cried out, using both belts to secure her to his back as her grip was weak. “It’s gonna be okay, gonna get you back home and get you full of blood. You’ll be brand spankin’ new and we can have us a talk yeah?”

“St-Star…”

“Huh?” he asked climbing the ladder as quickly as possible, his boots clanging against the metal of the rung with each step, he didn’t know how far he had to go. “Star? Stars? Yeah, guess the stars are out now… We can build a blanket fort and look at them when we get home.”

“...wars?”

Clint blinked, he went faster, “Star Wars?”

She huffed against his neck, he felt it in his belly, warming him. God, he needed to see her smiling, needed her laughing and bouncing around. He didn’t understand the part of him that wanted this, but seeing her injured so badly. His heart ached. “Or… trek?”

“You are not asking me if I prefer Star Wars over Star Trek?!” again a small puff of air against his neck, her head resting on his shoulder. He could only imagine what it was like to have her lips against his skin instead of just her breath? The thought made him shiver.

“Ar-are you thinking…. Naughty?” she asked.

He could feel her smirk against his neck, “you are supposed to be saving your energy, Wade must have rubbed off on you.”

“Oh, he has… once or twice.” Clint growled, jealousy whipping through him. “Just to-” she sighed, her grip loosening. Clint paused, one hand gripping her wrists quickly, both of them swinging back and forth gently on the ladder, till she regained hers. “Ok, ‘m‘kay… Clint?” he grunted in response, “I really… fancy you…”

He paused, why? He had been nothing but an asshole to her and yet.. “You shouldn’t,” he answered.

She giggled, burying her face in his neck. “Well, I do, can’t help it. W-Wade was right, bout you.” she sighed, “you’re a good guy.”

Clint swallowed the lump in his throat, he didn’t feel good. Moving again, he wondered how far he was when a breeze ruffled his hair and he let out a grateful bark of laughter escaped him as a pair of strong hands gripped his forearms, flashlight blinding him momentarily.

Hale squeaked as they were lifted clear of the hole. “Clint?”

“What the fuck?” Clint’s relief disappeared as they were surrounded. He turned around as the belt was cut from him and she was pulled away from him, her fingers slipping from his shoulders. “GET OFF HER!!” he didn’t think twice as he lunged for the nearest body.

She screamed, “STOP!! STOP CLINT-” he froze at her panic.

“That’s right, don’t fight.” There just beyond them Mason and Roman knelt in the dirt, tied up, bruised and gagged, guns held to their temples, Wade nowhere in sight. “We are gonna take her, and you three can stay here with your friends.”

“Wait… wait, she’s lost a lot of blood-” Clint struggled as his arms were bound behind him and she was swept up into the arms of another. “STOP!!” he yelled angrily as he was shoved back towards Mason and Roman, she wasn’t struggling instead she looked at him. “Wait! Hale!!”

“It’s okay,” she smiled softly.

“NO!” He cried, desperate to get to her, “No, NO!!” he lunged forwards again and her cry was the last thing he heard as something hard connected with the back of his head and the world turned black.

 

**

Wade hated coming back, hated the feeling of his brains squelching around, it’s why he sang. Albeit it was horrendously off key and the words were slurred, but it was better than hearing your eardrum settle in place. 

He would take the squelching if it meant not hearing her scream.

His arms were bound behind him, he was kneeling and a collar was around his neck. Dislocating his shoulder allowed him to wriggle his arm in front, dislocating his thumb let him free of the cuffs. They really underestimated him, what a shame, but that meant he would be having so much fun! He had just used the wall to shove his shoulder back in place when her cries stopped, his heart sinking, he knew all too well what that meant and he started for the only door in the room.

‘ _ Forgetting somebody? _ ’

“No, just give me a moment!”

‘ _ He forgot! _ ’

‘ _ Figures _ .’

“Brain is still settling estupidos, now stop distracting me!” he growled and they remained silent for a moment.

Once the RPG had hit, he and Mason had watched as the ground crumbled and both Hale and Clint disappeared. All hell broke loose as another jet appeared with more Hydra agents. He had done his best, Mason had as well, Roman- he was actually pretty proud of the guy. He was usually tech and now here he was dropping bodies like he’d been doing it all the time. 

Wade supposed it was that Hale had just fallen through a goddamn ACME hole in the ground. They needed to get rid of these fuckers if- he had turned to find the barrel of a gun in his face and that was all he knew before the squelching had started. He really needed to get that fucking checked.

The door was pretty fucking pathetic, he thought as he kicked it off the hinges. Standing just outside the door he patted himself down, “No weapons… don’t worry Bea and Arthur, daddy’s coming for you, just gonna have to John Wick this shit… lookie here, we got our first customer!” he laughed gleefully as he started towards the first Agent that was now yelling at him, gun raised. “Listen sweetheart, my brain is still stitching itself back together, so my Russian is not intact yet-” he grunted as bullets hit home and he yelped ducking and rolling till he launched himself legs first, “look at that, Black Widow esque, except with the sack in the face!” he laughed as he landed straddling the mans face. Shifting to really rub his sack on him, “Ahh, that was an itch I really needed scratched, you’re gonna do me another favor…” he sighed happily looking at the man under his crotch as he heard more footsteps coming his way.

 

**

Debbie Saltz found herself in an odd employment, not that she had turned it down. To her money was everything, what was the saying? ‘Money won’t buy you love, but it sure feels good crying in the driver’s seat of your own Aston Martin.’

“Pretty sure...you got it wrong..”

“What do you know? You’re the vampire in our books going back past the time of Captain America. The notes they still have on you are damn near impressive. The thing is, those men barely scratched the surface of what you can do.”

“G-give me a pint of blood, I’ll give you a show..” Hale glared at the woman in front of her.

The woman stood far away, her blond hair tucked into a bun at the base of her head, blue eyes cold and calculating, a white coat cinched at the waist sat atop a soft peach blouse and black skirt that hugged her waist. She laughed softly, eyes closing briefly, “you have spunk! I hope the other one does too! You know,” she pulled a seat over, sitting primly on it, “the mercenary? Actually all three of them are here, we know plenty about the archer, but those three? How did you get them to be so loyal to you?”

Three? Three…? “YOU LET THEM GO YOU BITCH!!” she lunged forwards, teeth bared fangs sharpening, eyes inking black, all of her vampire instincts coming out.

“There it is, that was rather simple, did you get those readings?” she asked over her shoulder. There was an answer and Hale tried to blink away the hazy edges at the end of her vision. “We did say we would leave them, but as far as I can tell they are not under your charm. I need to question them and find out why they follow you around, did you promise to change them? Make you like them?”

Hale closed her eyes, struggling to take in a breath, the cold metal around her neck, wrists and ankles biting in every so often. She fell back, stumbling to the ground.

“If you answer my questions I will give you a drink. If you don’t..”

Hale watched her nod, lights flickering on behind her, the glass window panes behind the woman showing Roman pacing in one and Mason in the other. Both men running to the windows and slamming against them. “I don’t know why they stay with me! I have never told them to stay, they chose to do it…”

The blond woman sighed. “You disappoint me. I’ll ask them.”

“THAT’S THE TRUTH!!” she cried.

“We’ll find out, won’t we?” she smiled, “now if you need me, I am Dr. Debbie Saltz.”

“Wait, don’t hurt them!”

The woman turned and raised a perfectly coiffed eyebrow, “I never said I would hurt them.”


	10. Chapter 10

Roman was not his brother, he preferred to work behind the scenes, technical backup. It didn’t mean he couldn’t fight. It took five men to restrain him to the chair once they opened the door after shoving the curtains back and revealing Hale chained down like some animal. He could hear Mason’s rough voice cursing in the room next to him, shouts that were silenced abruptly and Hale jerking on her binds towards the left of him let him know Mason hadn’t gone down quietly. 

As if that was surprising.

Once he was sat down and cuffed a woman entered. He already didn’t like her.

She smiled at him patiently, lips pursing as he glared at her, “I was going to say let’s move forwards civilly, but I can tell you won’t want to cooperate. I am sure your brother is of the same mind and will more than likely say so once he wakes up. Now, let’s move on. Roman Vale, tech genius to put it simply, your on Tony Stark’s level, that is beautiful. Now, if I didn’t know any better I would offer you a job, but we have some information, you worked for Victor Von Doom for awhile? Apparently you found her in your ex-employers labs?” she looked up at him briefly, “you and your brother freed her along with several other enhanced beings. That is sad to hear, though we don’t work with Victor it would be nice to collaborate with him sometime, though not sure that would be possible.” She shut the file and met his gaze. “That true?”

He didn’t answer, but clenched his jaw shut tight. She sighed and peeked over her shoulder at a man that stood just inside the door. He nodded, reaching up and murmuring into a comm, a second later Hale screamed. Roman jerked, squeezing his eyes shut, “now, is that true?” she asked as Hale’s voice died down, the scream echoing quietly.

Roman’s green eyes flickered to the window.

“As long as you answer truthfully she won’t be hurt.”

He nodded.

“Good, now,” she leaned forwards, “you, your brother and that heathen freed her from the transport jet right?” he nodded again and she smiled. “That’s good to hear, did you know that aboard that ship there was a fellow Doctor? Probably not, his name was Sigfried, I rather enjoyed his presence and much like you I believe people that hurt those I like should be punished.”

Hale’s scream tore through the air, Roman lunged forwards, head connecting solidly with the womans face, red blood immediately spurting from her nose and men tackled him.

 

**

Hale sucked in air, she had almost bitten through her tongue to keep from screaming as white hot electricity whipped through the collar, it hadn’t helped, she hadn’t been able to keep quiet. On her knees she glanced up as she heard the woman cursing, stepping out of the room she had been in with Roman, red coloring the front of her blouse and coat, she snickered.

Dr. Saltz paused, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose to keep from bleeding as she stepped towards Hale, “think this is funny?” she asked releasing and allowing blood to spill. She watched as Hale couldn’t help but inhale deeply. “We are going to starve you, but first… these we got from a man that attacked Tony several years ago… electric whips, they cut through metal like a warm knife goes through butter. We’ll begin testing your strength, what you can withstand and just when you truly need blood.”

 

**

Wade sighed, dropping his head back and forth popping it loudly in the now silence of the halls. Bodies littered the floors, a few hung from the walls where he had shoved them and a few he had managed to put in inappropriate positions. A banana stuck out of one’s ass, he rather liked that, a whimper sounded and he looked to his left, “oh! Still with us I see? Delightful!! Now about that favor?” 

_ ‘He won’t talk. _ ’ 

“I think he will,” he answered moving towards the man that scampered back. 

‘ _ Can we do that one thing? _ ’ 

“The thing Logan hates?” 

‘ _ Ohhh, my God yes!! We haven’t done that in a long time!! _ ’ 

“Please say you won’t help us, please, please, please, with a cherry on top?!”

 

**

Clint could feel the back of his head still throb and it wasn’t helping that there was an argument going on. He hit the table and all eyes turned to him. “We can’t leave Wade much less civilians in the hands of Hydra!” he growled.

“Civilians that take on contracts?” Fury asked annoyed.

“It’s what I would do if I weren’t working for-” he took in a breath. “They are a good team that does the work they are best at and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially since they don’t do anything that is detrimental to our line of work. Wade is one of us at least.”

“Hydra just got their hands on a vampire, we need to clean up,” Fury threw back.

“She’s not something to throw aside!” Clint growled angrily, “and what of the brothers?!”

Fury frowned, “she made a deal.”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT DEAL SHE MADE!!”

“She made me promise not to save her,” Fury said bluntly.

Clint dropped his head, her words echoing in his mind, ‘ _ Clint, don’t let them _ ,’ ‘ _ I can’t go b-back to Hydra _ ,’ ‘ _ I can’t go through that again. _ ’ He knew what fear sounded like and she had been so afraid at that moment. He pursed his lips, shoulders tense, fists clenched and pressed to the table. How was this even a discussion?

“Then we go in for Wade and the civilians.” Clint let out a breath looking over, Steve had arrived, Bucky and Alice behind him. 

“We don’t even know where they are!” Fury exclaimed.

Alice stepped forwards, placing a Stark pad on the tabletop. “We just got this in.”

There with coordinates, “ _ hey there metal armed yummy, I see the way you look at me with those flirty blue eyes, sorry off topic! Ahem, think you can pick me up? Be waiting for ya! :* Ever your bottom (or top!) Wade. _ ”

“You hate vampires.”

Alice raised an eyebrow, “vampires from my world. She doesn’t deserve to go through what we found out she has gone through," she answered hand fluttering to her neck.

Fury sighed, “what are you talking about?” Steve swiped the pad and folder upon folder opened, “Where did you get these?” He asked picking the pad up, “this is more than we have on her.”

“The Vale guy sent it to us after they all left to go save her from a bad decision,” Steve said crossing his arms over his chest.

“Fine, we move out in ten.”

 

****

Ten years prior.

 

The hunger that ran through her had become a constant, they bled her, kept her from being able to stand. She couldn’t remember when she had lost her voice, her screams tearing through the pristine white halls of the facility.

They were testing her blood, injecting a few men with it, forcing them to drink her blood. Attempting to make more vampire, she scoffed lightly. There was a way, though she would rather die than let them know. Let them know… know what? Her mind was hazy and it was harder and harder to focus, know what was reality what she was hallucinating.

A hand slid under her chin, lifting her gaze, men in scrubs, lab coats, face masks. It was monotonous, repetitive, routine. Pain was a constant. Hunger weakened her. 

She should have been smarter. Should have been more careful.

Hale couldn’t remember how long she had been here.

 

**

Roman had been bored, he had finished with work. Ahead of schedule again, it was why he had been headhunted for the VonDoom research facility, much of what he did was hypothetical work. Strategies that could be used in certain situations, what could be used against enhanced beings, ways to subdue any threat.

There had been a file that he had found, buried and miscoded. He had ignored it for a week, now he stuffed another donut into his mouth and long lean fingers flew across the keyboard, he quietly hummed along to the music that played in his earbuds, industrial music his go to for the time being. The firewall was something he remembered having cracked back in middle school, their security system a joke, and codes- they were his forte after all, a cocky grin settled on his lips as he easily made his way through the coding. His laptop glitched, he let out a muffled exclamation, forcing himself to swallow what was left in his mouth before it went completely blue and then the screen went black. His chest clenched at the sudden death of his laptop before a single line blinked at the top, black screen coming to life with a live video feed.

He didn’t know her, he didn’t understand what he was staring at, but the way she screamed, even without audio made him flinch. It took seconds for him to embed the video and send it via a secure file to Mason, attached a few other video feeds of others that were in secure rooms, VonDoom enterprises, this was not what he had signed up for. 

He had managed to grab his bag, stuffed his laptop in and a few files before reaching for the door, heart plummeting to his stomach when he flung it open and faced several men.

 

**

Mason moved through the facility, a team of four following behind. It had taken a day to gather them, to get back to this side of the world. Roman had been silent since he had first received the files. 

The facility had been on lockdown and from what he could tell in the process of packing up and shipping out. They had come in three floors up, silent and efficient, his team was well sought after and paid top dollar. Mason did his thing, his siblings did their own. When he had received the encrypted file from Roman while in the middle of Mumbai and he hadn’t thought much of it, but it itched the back of his mind till he finally gave up and opened it. 

Mason flinched when he heard a scream, they had split up, he went solo while his team split into groups of two. 

This building had been hard to find, everything saying it didn’t exist, that it was empty, he had scowled as he made his way through. It seemed very much like it was here, very much like someone was paying for it. He hated having to call for reinforcements, which he did once they had gotten in to confirm there was someone here. 

What had Roman gotten himself into?

He stepped carefully as he moved through the doorway, there was movement and he bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from cursing loudly. Cages. People stuck in cages, he held out a hand, bringing it to his lips signalling them to quiet as they moved towards them. What the fuck was this place exactly? 

A man reached out, catching his shoulder strap and jerking him towards cage, “get out. Now.”

Mason shook his head, “not without my brother.” 

“He’s dead.”

Mason shook his head, jerking away and out of the man's grasp, “what is this place?”

“You’ve come here and you don’t even know?” The man asked glaring, silence stretched, another scream pierced the air, unnerving him. “Let us out.”   
Mason shook his head, “there are others coming. Help.”

“Unlock this and I will tell you where your brother is.” He licked his lips watching Mason who looked over his shoulder at the silent eight that stood by, “the blond right? Long hair? I saw them dragging him down the halls one day, never saw the guy before, whatever he did he fucked up.”

“He called me.”

 

**

Roman felt the bile rising, he swallowed, his mouth watering before he got sick. Pain radiated through his entire being, he didn’t understand the Russian that was being thrown around. He whimpered as he was hauled up, arms bound behind his back, metal cuffs cutting into his wrists. 

He stumbled as they pulled him along. They had questioned him for two days, he thought it was two days, they kept coming in and out. The beating had begun not long after. He was sure he could deal with it, what had gotten to him was not sleeping. Whenever he had a moment, his eyes would drift down and he would be slapped awake, body screaming in retaliation. He had started seeing things, he was sure, Mason couldn’t be here and surely not his mother. 

He gasped as he was shoved through a door, it slammed behind him and he spun to stare at it in shock. He could sleep. A low rumbling growl behind him made his blood run cold. 

Turning slowly he met pure black eyes, a step back and she bared her fangs at him. 

“My name is Roman Vale,” he wasn’t sure what that would do, everything in his being was screaming at him to get out, another step back, her head tilted to the side. “I- I work upstairs, u-uhm… tech? I.T.? W-with the computers?” he muttered, another step.

“The door is locked,” she hummed quietly coming to a stand. She was shorter than him, but Roman felt like a cornered animal, “I- I saw you- what they were doing to you, I sent it to my brother… he’s coming. He’s coming for me. He’ll help you.”

She stared unblinking, eyes tracking his next step back. “Coming?” Roman nodded, tongue swiping out quickly, twisting his wrists, the cuffs cut in deeper. “I can smell your blood.” Roman winced as he was slammed into the door behind him, her small frame easily pinning him. How could she be so strong? “I can hear your heart..” she hummed softly. “You smell delicious, so hungry, it burns.”

“Mason… carries protein bars?” his breath hitched as her fingers ran along his neck and into his hair. 

She jerked him down, his knees hitting the ground harshly, “don’t struggle. I will only take a little.”

Roman felt a scream making its way up his throat as his eyes widened, the woman leaning down towards him, her fingers in his hair jerking his head to the side, “please…”

 

**

Mason struggled to keep from saying fuck it and blowing the place to smithereens. He was tempted to call his team out and tell them to fucking nuke the place. The further he went the more fucked up it was. He had found what he guessed was a morgue, bodies littered the room, what was once bodies or parts of them he guessed.

That would haunt his damned nightmares for years to come.

“Boss? Get down here ASAP.”

And he had. Rendezvous with Connor in what looked like Romans wet dream, his brother was a damned nerd. She had trouble getting in and he laughed, “that would be Romans handiwork.”

“Your brothers a damned genius and his own worst enemy, looks like he’s two floors down, check this shit out, not only enhanced individuals-” she pointed at the multitude of screens including the room he had been in, “there are all sorts of supernatural.”

“Is that what this is?”

“Looks like a slave trade, mixed with research, for those that can afford to buy them and they’ve got intel on all of them.”

Mason nodded, eyes on the screens, “get it all, we’ve got incoming, backup has already landed. They are making their way down,” he dropped his head as alarms started going off, the lights cutting out and red blinking. “Connor,” he groaned.

“It wasn’t me,” she swore fingers flying across the keyboard in front of her. “Get the fuck out of here and get your brother, I think they’re taking him to the vampire.”

“Vampire?”

“The girl in the file he sent us.”

 

*

He felt like it took forever. The halls seemed endless and he didn’t register the people he took out on his way down. The three men took more work than the others, but once he took them down he shoved past the door and felt his heart plummet. His gun clattered to the ground beside him, kneeling and shoving the blond onto his back, “Roman, Rom-ROMAN!”

Green eyes fluttered open and a groan slipped past his lips. “I was just falling asleep!” he groused.

Mason laughed, a quick burst, “fucking shit," he muttered pulling his brother up. Roman sat up and nodded to the corner of the room. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, how had he missed a whole other person? There was nothing else in the room yet he had completely missed her. “The fuck is that?”

Roman smiled weakly, “her name is Hale, we need to get out of here and she’s weak, hasn’t had blood and she did good…”

“Blood?”

Roman nodded, “brother she’s a vampire… and I work for a corrupt and evil empire..” he looked thoughtful for a moment, “that’s not VonDoom’s MO. Fuck if I know anything now I was just tech support and lookit what I did.”

“You’re not responsible for what they did.”

“If we leave her, they’ll hurt her more.”

“Government is moving in.” Roman leveled a look at him. “Rome, she’s not a puppy!”

“Just let me go.”

Mason frowned, “both of you are too weak to even get out of this damned room.” He chewed his bottom lip, reaching up for his comm, “Connor, get your ass down here with the others, we have two to evacuate.”

“Two?”

“Yeah, you heard right. Get your asses down here!”

The three stared at each other. "You can let me go, I will find you."

Mason shook his head, "don't be stubborn. You need the help, let us help." He watched as she kept still, "look its too late, Roman likes you and you'll end up falling in love with us."

"That right?" She asked quietly.

Mason nodded, "you can be our new little sister."

She met his gaze, "I am over four hundred years old, and you want me to be your little sister?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun."

She snorted. 

"See?" Roman piped up, "told you you'd like him."

**


End file.
